In a recent interview with WebMD’s chief medical officer John Whyte, MD, Fauci was asked to explain why public health guidance is not working in some populations. After noting that the current pandemic’s problems are “multifaceted,” Fauci referenced reports that the average age of those testing positive has dropped precipitously. “Clearly young people are driving this new surge,” Fauci said, before explaining why he thought this to be the case. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “What happens is that younger individuals, who generally, statistically, are not going to have symptoms to the frequency that elderly people do… The younger individuals are saying, ‘Well, if I get infected, so the chances of it is that I won’t even have any symptoms, so who cares?’” he said. Fauci called this line of thinking a “big mistake,” explaining that “by allowing yourself to get infected, or not caring if you do get infected, you are propagating a pandemic.” “It doesn’t end with you,” Fauci continued. “You get infected and have no symptoms. The chances are you’re going to infect someone else, who will then infect someone else.” In early July, Fauci sent a similar message during a Q&A discussion with Francis Collins, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health, saying, “Young people should not feel like they’re invulnerable to serious consequences.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb He also said “the average age of people getting infected now is a decade and a half younger than what it was a few months ago, particularly when New York and New Orleans and Chicago were getting hit very badly.” Similarly, in an interview with CNN in late June, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Biology professor Erin Bromage, PhD, said “18 to 44 year olds are being infected at a really high rate” and are the ones, in fact, fueling the pandemic. And for more on the states that aren’t faring well, check out 11 States Where Locking Down Again Is Absolutely Necessary.
