World Health Organization (WHO) Emergenices Chief Mike Ryan is asking younger people to truly reconsider their decisions when it comes to attending parties and other social gatherings as the at-risk age group continues to change.
During an online discussion on Wednesday, Ryan expressed concerns about younger people as he challenged them to ask themselves one question before attending a social event amid the ongoing pandemic.
“Younger people also need to take on board that they have a responsibility,” Ryan said. “Ask yourself the question: Do I really need to go to that party?… Do I really need to be there? And what are the consequences of doing that?”
See Ryan’s remarks below:
Ryan went on to share details about the latest coronavirus statistics which signal that younger people are contracting the virus at a higher rate than seniors, who were previously categorized as the most vulnerable.
According to Ryan, an increase “community transmission” raises risks for “everybody.”
“If community transmission is high, then everybody is at risk,” Ryan said. “Maybe at different risks in different situations, but everybody is at risk… Young people have a huge opportunity to drive down transmission.”
While Ryan did acknowledge how difficult it is to mitigate the spread of the virus, he stressed the importance of doing so.
“That’s tough but it is what is needed to stop the virus,” he said.
Over the last several weeks, the United States has seen a significant rise in coronavirus cases. In fact, multiple states — including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Texas — have such alarming spikes governors opted to either roll back or halt reopening.
California and Florida have now surpassed New York, which was the previous United States epicenter at the beginning of the pandemic. Louisiana is now considered the number one state for coronavirus, on a per-capita basis.
Now, there are 4.9 million cases as the number of positive cases approaches 5 million. The United States’ death toll has also surpassed 160,000.
