US warns young people, too, vulnerable to corona
WASHINGTON: Younger people in France and Italy are falling seriously ill from Covid-19, a worrying development that suggests young adults are more susceptible to becoming sick than earlier thought, a White House official said on Wednesday.
“There a r e c o nc e r ni ng reports coming out of France and Italy about some young people getting seriously ill and very seriously ill in the ICUS,” said Deborah Leah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House Task appointed by Donald Trump, at a news briefing at the White House flanked by the American President and vice-president Mike Pence, alongside top health officials.
US public health officials, experts and media commentators have expressed frustration and annoyance with widespread display of indifference from younger people to the dangers of the outbreak and recommended precautions, as captured most graphically in visuals running non-stop on some TV channels of a crowded beach in Florida.
“Spring Break” observed by US colleges and universities is peak season for Miami Beach, an island city off the coast of Miami with an enticing setting along a neon-lit strip of restaurants, nightclubs and bars.
“We cannot have these large gatherings that continue to occur throughout the country for people who are off work, to then be socialising in large groups and spreading the virus,” said Birx.
Trump took notice, scolding the young holidaymakers during a Wednesday press conference. “We don’t want them gathering,” he s ai d. “And I s ee t hey do gather, including on beaches and including in restaurants.”