Nearly one-third of ICU coronavirus patients in a Houston hospital system are reportedly under 50


Texas has emerged as one of the United States' coronavirus hot spots in recent weeks, and data shows the recent spike doesn't completely match up with the early days of the pandemic in terms of demographics.
Back in April, when the virus first peaked, most of the patients testing positive in the Houston Methodist Hospital system were over 50, The New York Times reports. Now, the majority are reportedly relatively young. And while it's widely believed younger, healthier people are at a lower risk of developing severe infections or dying, there are no guarantees. In the Methodist system, nearly one-third of intensive care patients are under 50, which the Times notes is higher than the previous surge.
Meanwhile, The Texas Tribune and Fox4 in Dallas previously reported that people under 50 made up 50 percent of those hospitalized with the virus in June, as well as 30 percent of those in intensive care.
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The trend doesn't appear to be confined to Texas, at least anecdotally. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that states like Arizona, Florida, and California were also seeing more patients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s testing positive and winding up in the hospital. Read more about Houston Methodist Hospital's experience with the coronavirus at The New York Times.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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