Adults Under 30 Least Likely to Wear Mask, Socially Distance

New evidence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that younger people have loosened up on social distancing.

In a report Trusted Source published Tuesday, the CDC says that between April and June 2020, key mitigation behaviors, including distancing and avoiding crowded spaces, was lowest among people between the ages of 18 and 29.

The findings highlight the need to inform young adults not only about their potential risk, but important role in the spread of COVID-19.

Though younger people have a lower risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19, the infection can become severe in people of all ages, including those who are otherwise healthy.

“We also know from prior studies that young persons in their 20s can serve as a reservoir for transmission to older persons. Reducing the infection rate among persons in their 20s–30s is critical to gaining control of the pandemic,” Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City,.