Meet 17 Coronavirus Survivors Under 30 Who Could Have You Rethinking the Disease

Attention any and all Americans: People of all ages can be infected by the Coronavirus.

That’s what the World Health Organization proclaims as states continue to see hundreds and even thousands of new cases everyday. 

And while WHO says older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus, doctors have seen young people across the country suffer when diagnosed with COVID-19.

“I want young people to know that, yes most of the time, they will be fine but there are many cases where the presence of SARS CoV 2 [the virus that causes COVID-19] leads to a profound amount of inflammation resulting in organ failure and death. That’s what I have seen in the ICU,” Orange County, Calif., pulmonary/critical care Doctor Cedric “Jamie” Rutland shared with E! News. “But, probably most importantly, the asymptomatic young adults who are not wearing a mask or participating in social distance may be spreading it to vulnerable parents and grandparents.”

The American Lung Association national spokesperson, who has not treated the individuals highlighted below, added, “I am not asking you to walk on water…I am just saying, ‘Don’t get wet.’ Wear the mask and participate in some social distancing.”