YOUNG PEOPLE, CONSIDER THE BIGGER COVID-19 PICTURE

Dear teens and twentysomethings of San Diego County,

Let us first take the opportunity to recognize you for all that you have done recently tomove this country forward on social justice issues. Whether it’s climate change, gender rights or racial inequality, your generation has stood up and even taken to the streets to fight for justice. Based on your actionswe knowthat you care about social justice and when you put your mind to it you can effect real change.

The coronavirus pandemic is one such opportunity. Youmaybe aware that the current increases in coronavirus cases across the county, state and country are primarily driven by cases among young people. Sure, you’ve heard the taglines “cover your face, keep your distance,” etc. but since the virus is most often a mild infection in your age group, youmaythink all of this is overblown. We hope those of you who are athletes have heard that even with a mild case you could have long-term damage to your heart muscle that could delay or end your sports career. But for the vast majority of you, the coronavirus will be amild illness— you are young and healthy so what’s the big deal? You might not have thought of it thisway, but the big deal is that your mild case has a direct impact on racial and economic disparities in your community.

We are infectious disease specialists working in the central and southern regions of San Diego County. The communitieswe serve, which are primarily lowincome, have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic, experiencing a disproportionate burden of cases and deaths, and the greatest economic hardship. This is the definition of a health disparity. We hope you will recognize how these health disparities impact the people whowork with or for you, cleaning your dorms, cooking or serving your food, serving you your coffee, driving your bus, Uber or Lyft; these people are among the groups most likely to experience the coronavirus ANDCOVID-19, the disease it causes. And most likely, if they are people of color or if they have an underlying health condition, they also have a higher likelihood of getting sick and having a severe illness or even dying. So an increase in cases in your age group negatively impacts them, directly. As has been said, “We’re all in this together.”

Furthermore, in an indirect but equally devastatingway, the increased community rates caused by cases in your age group have decimated our economy and put many businesses and individuals out of work— in a region that already has significant incomeinequality and high rates of homelessness and poverty. The economic benefit of reopening local businesses is tied directly to our community case rates. The pandemic has exacerbated all those preexisting problems. When you see families with childrenwaiting in line for food distribution and recognize that they are there because of the pandemic and the impact on their parents’ income, you will realize that the rise in virus rates in your age group affects everyone. When cases among young people and university students rise high enough to risk putting San Diego County into the “purple zone” of state-mandated restrictions again, the direct result is more closed businesses, lost income, and more hungry people in food lines.

Therefore the most compelling argument for you to lower your rates of the coronavirus is not to protect yourselves— you’re right, chances are you’ll probably do fine— it is because your actions are widening the disparities, inequalities and traumas experienced by many underserved people in your and our community.

The good news is you knowhowto rise up and stand behind a cause. You have shownthis undeniably in your recent actions. Also good news is that it is easy to reduce the coronavirus among your peers and showleadership. Prevention is extremely simple: Wear your mask, keep your distance, wash your hands and stay home when sick. In more practical terms: Resist the urge to go to that crowded party— one fleeting night of fun is notworth the harm you could do to someone around you or the economic damage to which your coronavirus casemaycontribute. Masks, distance, hand hygiene and staying home when sick. These four universal interventions are simple yet highly effective. They can stop the spread of the virus, if onlywe could implement them.

Andwe can. Or, more accurately, you can. You have the power to control this pandemic and to be leaders in themovement. We have seen what kind of change can happen when young people take a stand for social justice andwe ask you to do the same again now.

Aldous and Ramers are infectious diseases physicians and serve as the clinical director of infectious disease for San Ysidro Health and the chief of population health at Family Health Centers of San Diego, respectively. They both live in San Diego. This article represents the authors’ opinion as specialists in the field and does not necessarily reflect the views of San Ysidro Health or Family Health Centers of San Diego.