Younger age bracket in hospital

[Window1]

It seems the 18-34 age bracket are seeing higher levels of hospitalisation.

Does anyone know of anyone in this bracket that had to go to hospital? Were they vaccinated? Did they have anything underlying? What was their experience?

Do we really have young healthy people in ICU on ventilators and what are the survival rates when it reaches this point?

Higher in what way?

If you mean proportionately to older age groups - then that would make sense because of the vaccines.

If you mean at a higher rate than previously then that is something different.

Which do you mean?

Yes my 20 year olds son (fit and healthy no underlying conditions) was in two weeks ago - not with breathing issues but severe diarrhoea and sickness which left him passing huge amounts of blood - also bringing up bile - he became so weak and dehydrated he ended up being taken to hospital by ambulance . He was convinced he was going to die but he’s recovering well at home (lives with ex h ) . Started initially with what he thought was a sinuses infection and became flu like symptoms

@hamstersarse

Higher in what way?

If you mean proportionately to older age groups - then that would make sense because of the vaccines.

If you mean at a higher rate than previously then that is something different.

Which do you mean?

A higher percentage is my understanding. So yes I realise that the vaccine or lack of for the younger age group is the likely reason.

Does anyone have any experience with this age group in hospital?

@Spacecadetagain

Yes my 20 year olds son (fit and healthy no underlying conditions) was in two weeks ago - not with breathing issues but severe diarrhoea and sickness which left him passing huge amounts of blood - also bringing up bile - he became so weak and dehydrated he ended up being taken to hospital by ambulance . He was convinced he was going to die but he’s recovering well at home (lives with ex h ) . Started initially with what he thought was a sinuses infection and became flu like symptoms

I'm pleased to hear that your son is making a good recovery. Must be scary for them, assume that no visits are allowed.

My beautician's sister is a nurse on a covid ward and she told the story of a 38 year old unvaccinated man who went to Wembley recently, caught Covid and has been in the ICU. He was unlikely to survive. He apparently has two young children. Very sad.

Sorry I've just realised this man wouldn't be in that age bracket but is still relatively young.

I presume they aren’t being hospitalised at a higher percentage than they have been all along, it’s just that they’re making up a bigger percentage of the total numbers now.

So I wouldn’t expect anything to be radically different to how it’s been all along. The vast majority won’t be in icu and outcomes will be very good for most.

My friend is 32 and he was just discharged from hospital. He didn't have the vaccine for religious reasons, despite all his family, parents, grandparents, siblings and wife of the same faith having it. He spend 9 days on the Covid ward and said he's facing a long recovery. He has struggled with the vaccine decision since the start.

@Window1 yes it was hard - especially as I’m three hours away , but no visitors at all in the week he was in .I knew he was feeling a bit better when he texted me asking me to stop ringing the ward because it was embarrassing 😳

@Itsnotover

My beautician's sister is a nurse on a covid ward and she told the story of a 38 year old unvaccinated man who went to Wembley recently, caught Covid and has been in the ICU. He was unlikely to survive. He apparently has two young children. Very sad.

I'm sorry to hear that and yes it is so young. Do you know if he made it back out of ICU?

It may also be because the threshold for people going into hospital is lower now - I know in the first wave a friend of a friend with breathing problems was treated in an ambulance and kept at home rather than being taken in, because there was no room for her anyway.

Now the hospitals have (relatively) more space they can accept more admissions who are perhaps less unwell than when they were overwhelmed and only taking the sickest.

What about people that are going into ICU. Anyone have experience of this?

@Window1 apparently they have had to switch the ventilator off because nothing more could be done.

The vast majority won’t be in icu and outcomes will be very good for most.

I know of quite a few who have long covid.

I know of quite a few who have long covid.

And that’s anecdata.

Unfortunately the actual data on long covid is a holy mess and impossible to form clear conclusions on.

Don’t get me wrong, everyone should get the vaccine, but the situation for young unvaccinated people getting covid doesn’t seem to be different to any other phase of the pandemic.

Apparently (according to Dr Le Fanu) this report comes from Amanda Pritchard claiming 'a fourfold increase of "really unwell" young adults being admitted to hospital.'

As the chosen age range is not recognised in official data sets her figures cannot be verified.

Also, the proportion of young people in hospital has risen as the proportion of elderly in hospital has reduced by 90% since the winter peak, thanks to vaccination. (Suppose there were 100 elderly in hospital and 5 young adults in the winter and now there are 10 elderly and 2 young adults - that would be a huge increase in proportion of younger people, but overall would be comparitively good news, even for the younger people.)

[quote Itsnotover]@Window1 apparently they have had to switch the ventilator off because nothing more could be done. [/quote]
This is so sad. I know there have been so many deaths. Each one tragic.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/05/fifth-of-covid-hospital-admissions-are-aged-18-34-says-nhs-england

I think the point in the article about clearer information for young people is a good one. As I feel the narrative was very much lockdown is to protect the NHS and the most vulnerable in society. NOT the healthy 18-34 year olds. If it transpires as appears to be the case that these are now possibly one of the higher risk categories, this needs to be made very clear.

Might be worth looking towards the US or Canada or India for figures on Delta. All three of those have at some point raised the issue of delta causing more severe illness in younger age groups than previously seen. Although I think in younger age groups than you are looking at.

Just remembered, Singapore did too, but not sure what happened there.

I think delta has a higher rate of hospitalisations among unvaccinated people? I'm sure I read that somewhere.

I don't think that the messaging needs to be changed to say that younger people are now at higher risk. However, I do think that the risks to unvaccinated individuals of any age need to be clearly highlighted.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

Might be worth looking towards the US or Canada or India for figures on Delta. All three of those have at some point raised the issue of delta causing more severe illness in younger age groups than previously seen. Although I think in younger age groups than you are looking at.

Based on this should we be concerned about under 18s not having to isolate when they return to school. They are unlikely to retain the bubbles so mixing with wider range of children.

“I work in a 12-bed ICU. All 12 patients right now are Covid, they are all unvaccinated. And they are young. We are watching, not grandparents this time around, parents. Parents with young children. We have a mother right now who has never held her newborn baby."

www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/covid-icu-nurses-say-they-cant-keep-doing-this-as-unvaccinated-americans-overwhelm-hospitals/news-story/0a205d93d44576e696c49fa65aa44253

I have read multiple accounts of Delta affecting younger patients than the original virus, from different parts of the world in the last few months.

@milkyaqua

“I work in a 12-bed ICU. All 12 patients right now are Covid, they are all unvaccinated. And they are young. We are watching, not grandparents this time around, parents. Parents with young children. We have a mother right now who has never held her newborn baby."

www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/covid-icu-nurses-say-they-cant-keep-doing-this-as-unvaccinated-americans-overwhelm-hospitals/news-story/0a205d93d44576e696c49fa65aa44253

I have read multiple accounts of Delta affecting younger patients than the original virus, from different parts of the world in the last few months.

This is startling and I realise it is currently in the news, but are we becoming numb to this pandemic after so much news about it for so long. Or is the message getting across as clearly as it should.