average age of COVID patients at SF hospital is 41: 'We are all at risk'

[Demovictory9]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/SF-Health-Director-average-age-COVID-cases-15416232.php

SF Health Director says average age of COVID patients at SF hospital is 41: 'We are all at risk'
By Alyssa Pereira, SFGATE

San Francisco Department of Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax stated in a virtual press conference Friday that while the state of California experiences a resurgence of the coronavirus, the average age of those hospitalized at the city's Zuckerberg General is just 41 years old.

The revelation, he says, suggests that the virus can seriously affect not just "the elderly and most frail," but also people much younger and healthier.

"Young people, middle-aged people, older people," he said, "we are all at risk for this disease and all at risk of serious consequences."

The coronavirus has surged locally in the Bay Area in the last two weeks, prompted in part by residents' "complacency," as San Francisco Mayor London Breed stated. A big factor in the spread of the virus during that time frame has been people taking part in gatherings with those outside of their homes, often unmasked. She cited one example involving a disaster services worker in the city, whose roommate went camping with more than a dozen people and contracted the virus, endangering the city worker. (The worker, she added, fortunately went on to test negative.)

"The point is that gatherings remain inherently dangerous and you need to give a lot of thought to if they're worth it and you can do it safely," she said. "Can you wear a mask the whole time? Can you be socially distant? Can you wash your hands?"

Both Breed and Colfax urged city residents to wear masks and to refocus their efforts to stop the spread of the virus. As of Friday, the city has 4,975 cases, with 52 reported deaths. More than half, 56%, of those who tested positive have been age 40 and under.

"We have flattened this curve once and we must do it again," Breed stated. "What I'm afraid of is the complacency. People are tired of the virus but the virus is not tired of us."