Some 10-15 Percent Of COVID-19 Patients Under 50 Suffer Moderate To Severe Symptoms - WHO

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th March, 2020) While older people have by now proved to be more vulnerable to COVID-19, up to 10-15 percent of people younger than 50 years old develop moderate to severe disease, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme Michael Ryan said on Friday.

"There is no question that elderly and those with underlying conditions have been affected much more than other age groups," Ryan said during a virtual WHO briefing when asked to comment on growing numbers of younger patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

At the same time, he continued, the dynamic in South Korea showed 20 percent of fatalities being among people under 60 years of age, and in Italy, up to 15 percent of people in intensive care were under 50 years of age.

"Up to 10 to 15 percent of people under 50 who have the disease will have a moderate or severe infection ... So for most young people, this is a very mild infection, but for a significant minority of people between the age of 20 and 60, this is a significant infection," Ryan said.

The global tally of COVID-19 has now crossed the landmark number of half a million cases, including over 20,000 fatalities.