Locals in their 20s make up half of Hamilton’s new COVID-19 cases
- Michael Kras
- 06 Jun 2020
Indicating that many of the city’s young adults may be getting way too lax way too early regarding physical distancing, Hamilton is reporting a surge of new COVID-19 cases with almost half of those cases being residents in their twenties.
According to Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Hamilton’s Medical Officer of Health, 43 per cent of new local cases – or roughly 31 people total – diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 10 days have been people in their twenties.
Dr. Richardson points to the fact that people in younger age groups are starting to relax strict safety guidelines, including wearing masks, maintain proper physical distancing, and frequently washing their hands.
NEW: #HamOnt is seeing a surge of #COVID19 cases among people in their 20s, who may be getting lax about physical distancing, city's medical officer of health warns.
43% of new infections over last 10 days are in that age range, @SamCraggsCBC reports:https://t.co/QPhipTnkFs
— Lauren Pelley (@LaurenPelley) June 5, 2020
There have been countless instances of youth in Hamilton and beyond treating this pandemic with a certain level of flippancy, as young people ignore guidelines by gathering with groups of friends from various households and doing so without adhering to physical distancing guidelines.
Famously, Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park recently made the news as thousands of residents, many of whom were visibly younger, gathered tightly in the park with questionable regard for safety measures such as physical distancing or face masks.
Some young folk may feel assured by COVID-19 statistics indicating that their age class is overall less likely to see serious complications or death due to the novel coronavirus.
However, this is a short-sighted perspective. Dr. Richardson stresses that people in their twenties are still vulnerable to experiencing severe cases of COVID-19; not to mention the fact that even those who carry the virus mildly or asymptomatically are putting the rest of the community at risk, including seniors and other vulnerable residents.
The public urgings still hold as true as ever: practice safe physical distancing by staying at least 2 metres apart from others in public, be diligent about washing your hands, stay home as much as possible, and avoid gathering in groups of people outside your households.
Hamilton’s current total of confirmed COVID-19 cases is 727; a number which has seen 562 cases resolved, 138 hospitalized, and 40 deaths. Of that total number, residents aged 20 to 29 currently make up the highest percentage of confirmed local cases out of all other age groups at 19 per cent.
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