Which Age Group is the Most at Risk from Coronavirus: Explained in 4 Graphic Cards

Patients aged between 18 and 44 are driving the spread of the novel coronavirus in India, making up nearly 54% of the total Covid-19 cases in the country, data released by the health ministry on Wednesday revealed.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in India crossed 37 lakh on Wednesday with 78,357 new infections reported in the last 24 hours. The number of recoveries has however crossed 29 lakh, pushing the recovery rate to 76.98 per cent, the Union health ministry said.

According to the ministry’s data, 51% Covid-19 deaths have been reported among senior citizens. “Around 54% Covid-19 cases are in the 18-44 years age group but 51% deaths are in the 60 years and above age group,” the ministry said in a tweet.

Here’s a graphical representation of the health ministry data:

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had warned earlier that coronavirus cases in Asia-Pacific countries are being driven by people under the age of 50 who may not know they are infected.

Many have mild or no COVID-19 symptoms and risk infecting the elderly and other vulnerable populations, the WHO’s Western Pacific regional director Takeshi Kasai had said. “The epidemic is changing. People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the threat,” Kasai said.

“Many are unaware they’re infected with very mild symptoms or none at all. What we are observing is not simply a resurgence. I believe it’s a signal that we’ve entered a new phase of the pandemic in the Asia-Pacific (region).”

WHO data on the current phase of the contagion showed around two-thirds of Japan’s infections were among those aged under 40.

More than half of the caseloads in the Philippines and Australia were also in that age group.