Were scientists wrong about this basic coronavirus fact we thought we knew all along?

[Andy Meek]

• A new coronavirus update has emerged in the form of a study about COVID-19 risk factors, published in recent days in the journal Scientific Reports.
• It comes to the conclusion that the data doesn't show that old people are necessarily at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus (even though they are at greater risk of experiencing a severe illness from COVID-19 once they have contracted it).
• This should serve as another reminder to all age groups, but especially to younger adults who take more risks, that anyone can contract the virus.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has dragged on, it's truly remarkable when you stop and think how much has changed -- how comprehensively the pandemic has altered our lives, and even how much we've learned about this novel virus in the few months that humanity has been aware of its existence.

Part of that learning process involves updating, challenging, and ditching old assumptions as new facts are acquired. For example, a new coronavirus update in the form of a study published in the journal Scientific Reports in recent days makes it clear that a basic fact everyone thought they understood at the beginning of the pandemic was essentially wrong. Older people are generally understood to be more at risk of becoming severely ill when infected with COVID-19 (per CDC data), which could lead you to think that demographic is also the most vulnerable in general when it comes to the virus. But being most likely to develop a severe illness is not the same thing as being more likely to get infected by COVID-19 in the first place.

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Were scientists wrong about this basic coronavirus fact we thought we knew all along? originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2020 at 15:52:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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