RIO DE JANEIRO – The growing outbreak of COVID-19 in Brazil is increasingly affecting younger people, with hospital data showing that last month most people in intensive care were 40 years old or younger, according to a new report.
The report, published by the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine (AMIB) over the weekend, is based on data from more than a third of all intensive care units in the country. A significant increase was found in the number of young people admitted to the beds of the Intensive Care Units (ICU).
For the first time since the outbreak hit Brazil last year, 52% of ICU beds were filled by patients aged 40 and under. This represents a jump of 16.5 percent compared to employment in this age group between December and February.
It is unclear why more young people fall seriously ill during the current wave of the virus in Brazil, but some scientists think the new P1 variant that originated in the Amazonian city of Manaus could be to blame at least in part.
Other factors, such as vaccination of the elderly and the behavior of younger people who might feel less concerned about going out and socializing, could also influence the data.
In a separate report, the Fiocruz public health institute said the trend put more pressure on Brazil’s healthcare system because younger patients tend to spend more time in intensive care.
Brazil is currently the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 4,000 daily deaths last week.
The outbreak is pushing hospitals to the breaking point, with many patients dying before an ICU bed is available.
More than 350,000 people have died from coronavirus in Brazil, the second highest death toll in the world behind the United States alone.