“The idea that COVID-19 only affects older people is in fact wrong,” recalled WHO Director-General for Europe Hans Kluge at a press conference broadcast online from Copenhagen, the Danish capital.

“Age is not the only risk factor for a severe form of the disease,” Kluge insisted.

Critical cases have been observed in adolescents and young adults; many have needed intensive care and some have died,” he recalled.

In Europe, the youngest victim reported is a 12-year-old girl in Belgium. A six-week-old baby died in the United States and tested positive for COVID-19.

10 to 15% of people under 50 suffer from a moderate to severe infection, according to the WHO.

However, “those in good health are less at risk,” said Kluge, who assures that “people over 100 years old … admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 have also fully recovered.”

The WHO Europe has officially registered more than 464,859 cases with coronavirus and 30,098 deaths in 53 countries of its constituency, which goes from the Atlantic coast of the continent to the Pacific coast of Russia.

80% of deceased people had another chronic disease, in particular cardiovascular or diabetes.

For Kluge, respect for sanitary instructions is necessary “at any age.”

“It is not only an act of solidarity with others, particularly those most likely to be seriously affected, but it is also a vital activity for their own health and safety.” AFP