TOLEDO, Ohio — The nationwide increase in cases of coronavirus can be traced to young Americans, as many begin to venture out and about.
It can be hard for parents to talk their older children out of going to these sometimes crowded spaces.
As coronavirus cases keep going up in Ohio, Michigan and about 28 other states, the median age of those infected has been dropping. Now, you're seeing more people in their 20s getting sick. Packed bars and nightclubs seem to be one of the primary culprits.
As young people are breaking out of that "cooped up" feeling, it's having consequences. So, what can we tell the young people in our families?
ProMedica Toledo Hospital Medical Director of the E.R. Dr. Brian Kaminski said he's very concerned about this trend. He thinks young people are fatigued with staying at home and may not see the same risk as others, of going out in mass gatherings. They also may not be staying six feet apart or wearing a mask.
Kaminski said that not only are young adults getting sick, but they are likely spreading the virus to older, more at-risk populations. It's a big challenge for families to "reign them in."
"Yeah, it's absolutely tough and I have two teenagers myself so I could recognize immediately that the need for social interaction and for revisiting friends is a powerful force," Dr. Kaminski said."There are a few practices that have remained consistent. We have never stopped saying that social distancing is important. We have never stopped saying wearing a mask is important."
As if the coronavirus wasn't enough to worry about, Kaminski also wants our young people and younger kids to be careful this holiday weekend with fireworks. With many of the big public shows being canceled, he expects many people to conduct their own displays at home; and that means burn injuries and eye injuries from fireworks that malfunctioned or were launched at a different angle than expected.
So, his ER doesn't fill up with the injured, he wants kids to stay away. And if someone can't resist setting them off, leave it to an adult and read the warning labels.