Coronavirus trending among younger age groups in Riverside County

As of Friday Riverside County reported a spike in Coronavirus cases among younger age groups. There were over 5,500 people ages 18-39 who were infected as of this week. People ages 40-64 also demonstrated a large infection rate. Ages 65-79 showed a significant difference, with nearly 1,500 people being infected.

During the White House Coronavirus task force briefing Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, emphasized the infection rate among younger generations.

"The overwhelming majority now of people who are getting infected are young people-- likely the people that you see in the clips and in the paper who are out in crowds enjoying themselves."

Dr. Fauci went on to say that people are part of a process, and whether an individual shows symptoms or is asymptomatic, they will likely infect someone else.

"I also want to appeal to the millennials and those that are under 40. It’s really important that this group really commit themselves to these practices to protect those at risk," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Dr. Robert Redfield said.

Redfield urged millennials to be vigilant in practicing social distancing.

Officials attributed the rise in cases largely to the reopening of the economy. They said that if younger people do not have underlying health issues, a greater portion of those who become infected tend to either be asymptomatic or have symptoms that are less severe.

In the Coachella Valley, Eisnehower Health has also seen a spike in younger patients. Many have particularly come from the East Valley.

"The important thing to remember is that even those younger patients, particularly in our east valley community-- they’re often living with parents, grandparents and so on who are at risk. While the young people may feel that they’re somewhat invincible and can afford to get the disease and really not worry about it, they really have to think about the rest of the community that they’re around," Eisenhower Health Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Alan Williamson said.

Meanwhile, county officials plan to refocus their efforts to appeal to informing younger generations.

"They don’t think about the potential harm that they’re causing and we’re hoping that young people just stop for a minute and think, 'I love my parents, I love my grandparents, I don’t want to get them sick," Riverside County Department of Public Health spokesperson, Jose Arballo said.

Officials have voice concerns knowing that many young people continue to live with parents and/or grandparents, which could mean inevitable transmission.

"If the younger people are not practicing social distancing and [use of] face masks, they’re becoming vectors of this disease and they can spread it through the community. While I understand their way of thinking-- that they’re young, they’re healthy, it’s really not going to be a big deal for them, that may not well be true of other people in their household or in their community," Dr. Williamson said.