Barbara Rumain, Touro College – Teenagers are More Susceptible to Getting COVID-19 then Older Adults

Are younger people more or less likely to get COVID-19?

Barbara Rumain, associate professor of psychology at Touro College, examines the data.

Dr. Barbara Rumain received a B.A. in mathematics from Columbia University and then a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from New York University.   Her areas of interest include:  how people learn and reason, cognitive development, childhood obesity and the epidemiology of COVID-19 in children.

Teenagers are More Susceptible to Getting COVID-19 then Older Adults

Studies in the early days of the pandemic suggested that teenagers were not particularly susceptible to getting COVID-19. But research since then has had mixed results, with some studies showing equal rates of infection among all age groups, and others showing susceptibility increasing with age. But, many of these results may have been affected by lockdowns and school closures, limiting the activity of young people, as well as limited testing. 

Last summer presented an ideal situation to test whether young people were less likely to get COVID-19. There was a general easing of restrictions, and teens were on summer break and more likely to socialize. We examined data from states that were experiencing a surge in cases and compared rates among teens and young adults (up to age 24), with adults 60 and older.

In six states that had surges and data broken down by age, the prevalence of COVID-19 in teens and youth was actually greater than the prevalence in older adults.

For example, in Florida and Utah, 15- to 24-year-olds made up 2.2% of people with COVID-19, double that of adults 65 and older, who made up 1.1%.

The study doesn’t show that young people are more susceptible to the virus than older adults. But it suggests that they may expose themselves more to it and are not particularly protected from it. Young people are less concerned with getting sick and less likely to curtail their socializing because of any concerns of COVID-19.

We need to have better messaging aimed at young people because they are likely to get COVID-19, and when they do, they become carriers of the virus. In addition, we need to think about these results when making decisions about re-opening schools and the importance of wearing masks and social distancing in school settings.