For the first time in almost four months, there have been no new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
However, the rest of China has 34 newly diagnosed cases on Wednesday, according to the country’s National Health Commission.
There has been a surge in new cases in the capital of Beijing, placing tremendous pressure on officials to screen every traveler at key travel hubs.
Of the 34 newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19, 21 are from Beijing, a daily record for the city.
In China, the virus has affected 80,928 and killed 3,245 so far.
Meanwhile, a new study, conducted by American and European researchers, has found that young people are getting extremely sick from COVID-19.
The researchers found that people between the ages of 20s and early 40s are falling extremely sick from the coronavirus in spite of initial data that showed older individuals and those with underlying medical conditions were most vulnerable.
Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said, “It may have been that the millennial generation, our largest generation, our future generation that will carry us through for the next multiple decades, there may be a disproportional number of infections among that group.”
Italy is now the hardest-hit nation in Europe, where the virus has affected more than 35,700 and killed 2,978 so far. The vast majority of the patients are between the ages of 19 and 50.
In the United States, similar trends have been seen, with nearly 50 percent of patients were aged between 20 and 44.
It is a fact that the mortality risk increases precipitously with age. The CDC said that at least one in four died, citing the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump urged younger people to stop reckless behavior, such as hanging out at bars, partying, and going to the beach.
Health officials are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to stopping the spread.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, “You cannot imagine. You see what happened in China, you see what’s happening in Italy. We have the virus in the United States, and we want to make sure by our efforts that we don’t have that degree of disease and suffering that we are seeing in other countries.”
Dr. Fauci especially called on younger people to embrace the effort and protect themselves and others.
“No one is invulnerable, but even if you are doing very well, you have to be a very important part of our national effort to contain the outbreak,” he said. “You are not a passive person in this. You are an important part of the active plan to contain this epidemic. We really do need you. This isn’t something that can be successful without you.”
