"Only boomers have to worry about the virus"

While COVID-19 is more dangerous for older people due to their weaker immune systems, that does not mean that they are the only age group that can contract the virus. Case data from California shows that everyone is susceptible to the virus, regardless of age. In fact, over a third of the cases from the state have been from people between the ages of 18 and 34. However, this same age group only contributed 1.5% of COVID deaths so it is clear that the virus poses less fatal risk for young people. The issue is that individuals who are less likely to die from the virus, in addition to sustaining long-term health consequences, become dangerous carriers within communities. People are contagious for at least twelve days after contracting COVID-19 and even two days before showing symptoms. But why should young people care about being carriers if older folks are the demographic the virus is most dangerous for? Because the virus will simply not go away unless everyone plays their part in fighting it. As long as a small portion of the population continues to be irresponsible, COVID will continue to snowball out of control, and the consequences, such as the economic repercussions, stretch far beyond health risks for the elderly.