As Covid-19 cases rise among younger adults, expect a lower death rate for now, says former CDC director

Officials in states across the South have warned that more young people in their 20s and 30s are now testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

This recent rise in cases among young adults could lower Covid-19 death rates — until those young people go on to infect others, Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote in a Twitter post., Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote in a Twitter post.

“With younger age of recent infections in at least some places such as Florida, expect a lower death rate in this wave … until the 20-40 year olds who are infected today go on to infect others,” Frieden, president and CEO of the initiative Resolve to Save Lives, tweeted on Sunday.

The Florida Department of Health reported 3,494 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the state total to 97,291. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said that cases are “shifting in a radical direction” toward populations in their 20s and 30s.

DeSantis said Friday that the median age was 37 for newly diagnosed coronavirus infections over the last week. In the state, 62% of new cases for the week of June 7 are under 45 years old, he said.

Shifts in demographics by age have been reported in parts of Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and other states — many of which were some of the first to reopen following shutdowns.

In the United States, there are at least 2,280,969 coronavirus cases total and at least 119,977 people have died across the country due to the virus.