'JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUNG DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE NOT VULNERABLE'

SOME of the most tragic stories behind the Covid-19 global pandemic has been the loss of life of young healthy individuals with no underlying health issues.

There seems no explanations for this but clearly this virus does not discriminate – whether 55-year-old Boris Johnson, a UK mother of quads or a five-year-old child.

Hundreds of young Americans have now been killed by coronavirus and the true number of deaths among younger people is probably higher than recorded as not all states provide data that includes age.

"Just because they are young doesn't mean they aren't vulnerable," is the retort ofdoctors across the globe.

The harsh reality is that seemingly fit youngsters are not immune.

While stats may be hard to come by in the UK – especially ones of recovery which is still at 135 – some 750 people under the age of 50 across the US have lost their lives in the pandemic, according to latest data.

In under 20s there have been nine deaths. At least 45 deaths occurred among people in their 20s, 190 among those in their 30s, and 413 deaths in people aged between 40 and 49.There were 102 "other deaths" in people under 50.

New York state has seen 160,000 people contract the virus with 7,000 deaths in a US total of more than 450,000 cases and 16,200 deaths.

The death in the Empire state could have been "80 per cent lower" if leaders had acted sooner, according to health expert Dr Thomas Frieden.

On the scientific front, US experts reckon novel coronavirus is unlikely to wane substantially with the arrival of summer despite claims that the infection is killed at temperatures over 81F.

The findings of the National Academies of Sciences are in line with previous studies.

In Europe, death tolls come with contrasting highs and lows.

France had another bad day – up 1,341 to 12,210 and the UK rose by 881 to 7,978 – some 3,600 in the last five days. Italy was down to 610 new deaths in the previous 24 hours and Spain 446.

There were more than 500 new coronavirus cases in Japan on Wednesday –the country's biggest increase since the start of the outbreak. Deaths stand at 94.

The world total of more than 1.5 million has seen a 93,000 jump in a day and deaths are up more than 7,000 to 94,720.