Half of new Covid-19 cases in Washington are in people under 40

SEATTLE -- Half of the new coronavirus infections in Washington state are in people younger than 40 years old, according to a new analysis reported by The Seattle Times.

The analysis used the state’s public health dashboard to track cases between March 1 and May 3. Researchers found that 39 percent of confirmed cases across the state were among people aged 20 to 39. Eleven percent of cases were in people 19 and younger.

That's a big change from the start of the coronavirus crisis, when more than two-thirds of people testing positive were in older age groups.

State health officials say the age shift reflects the success of efforts to fight outbreaks in nursing homes, combined with more outbreaks at work sites across the state. They also attribute the shift to behavior patterns -- older people are likely staying home more, while younger people remain more active.

As The Seattle Times noted, younger people are less likely to die or be hospitalized from the virus, but there have been four cases of multisystem inflammatory disease, a serious illness that affects children and is linked to coronavirus.