Douglas County disease investigators have noticed a recent trend of new cases and hospitalizations reflecting a younger population than earlier in the pandemic, said Sonia Jordan, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Director of Informatics.
"This past week the average age of inpatients in Douglas County was in the 40s. The average age has never been that low before," she said.
Jordan attributed the trend to three potential factors:
- Prioritization and high vaccination rate of those 65 and older, who are now more likely protected against experiencing serious complications due to COVID-19.
- The identified B1117 variant cases identified widely in Shawnee County and other areas of the state, which creates the potential for younger people to experience health complications due to COVID-19
- The potential for younger people to participate in behaviors that might be more conducive to risks of more easily spreading the virus, including not practicing social distancing or mask wearing in environments where more people gather.
"The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have shown to be effective against the B1117 variant, so we would continue to encourage anyone 16 and older to make a vaccine appointment. Unlike earlier in the pandemic, we have plenty of vaccine supply right now," Jordan said. "And it's also important especially for younger people to keep their guards up in public with mask wearing and social distancing. We all want life to return more back to normal soon, and we are proud of how our community has handled mask wearing, safe habits and vaccinations during the pandemic. We ask everyone to continue down this path, so that we can remain the most vaccinated in the state and keep our cases at a manageable level."
Visit LDCHealth.org/COVIDVaccine or DouglasCountyKS.org/Coronavirus to make a vaccine appointment.