Hospital CEOs in Florida and Texas are sounding the alarm on a trend they're seeing at their facilities: a rise in the number of young patients needing hospitalization for COVID-19.
In an interview with CNBC, Marc Boom, MD, CEO of Houston Methodist, said Texas' rise in COVID-19 cases is affecting a larger number of Americans who are under the age of 50 than when the pandemic first took hold. At Houston Methodist, 60 percent of COVID-19 patients are under the age of 50.
"We are definitely seeing this affect young people, and they're getting quite ill," Dr. Boom told CNBC. "So we really need everybody to do their part."
David Verinder, CEO of Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital, echoed Dr. Boom's concerns. He told local NPR affiliate WJCT that rising COVID-19 numbers and an increase in younger patients needing hospitalization is "scary." The median age of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the state is 34.
"We have definitely had younger people now hospitalized at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and throughout the state and country at a much higher rate than had been before," Mr. Verinder told WJCT.
Dr. Boom said the encouraging part is fewer patients are being transferred to the intensive care unit at Houston Memorial, though experts warn more community spread may lead to higher instances of older Americans getting COVID-19 and causing death rates to climb.