Lane County is seeing a disproportionately high number of younger adults being adversely affected by COVID-19.
Typically, the people who suffer the most serious outcomes from the virus are older members of the senior population. But public health officials say that is changing.
Spokesperson Jason Davis said of the ten residents currently hospitalized, three are in their twenties.
“And within our ICU population, we have individuals in their 50s, individuals in their 60s,” he said. “So not necessarily our oldest of our old population. We have folks who are younger starting to experience poor outcomes because of COVID.”
Davis said it’s too soon to say whether this is attributed to variants circulating or a shift in the way the virus affects people.
Overall case numbers in Lane County continue to climb. The county is in a 2-week “grace period” but Davis said if cases keep increasing, the county will be moved back up to Moderate risk levelfor COVID spread.