The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded its list of who is at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 to include younger people who are obese or who have underlying health conditions. The warning comes just before the July 4th holiday, when many people will be gathering in groups to celebrate. CDC Director Robert Redfield suggested the virus has infected 6% of the population, or about 20 million people, a number ten times higher than the number of cases reported on the agency’s website. The updated warning associates risk with the number of health conditions present as well as body mass index and age. “Younger people are in no way completely immune,” said Jay Butler, incident manager for the CDC’s COVID-19 response. (STAT News story, 6/25/20)
