Experts Say Another COVID-19 Surge May Spell Trouble For Younger People

Experts believe another COVID-19 surge is possible and it could spell trouble for younger groups of people who haven't yet been vaccinated.

As of Monday (April 5), the U.S. is averaging more than 3 million daily doses of the coronavirus vaccine, but only about 18.5% of Americans are fully vaccinated, according to CDC vaccine data tracker, and cases continue to see a concerning increase nationwide.

The highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant has created an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in parts of Europe and the United States could be next if Americans don't meet proper safety measures as more people get vaccinated, specifically with so many younger groups still having not received the vaccine, CNN reports.

"We have to think about the B.1.1.7 variant as almost a brand new virus," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine via CNN. "It's acting differently from anything we've seen before, in terms of transmissibility, in terms of affecting young people, so we have to take this very seriously."

Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist, told CNN on Sunday that she believes "we still have a few more rough weeks ahead" and that, based on trends during the past year of the pandemic, the United States is typically "about three to four weeks behind Europe in terms of our pandemic patterns."

Dr. Leana Wen said the difference between the next potential surge and previous instances is that "people most affected now are the younger individuals" as other populations in the U.S. have been prioritized for coronavirus vaccinations.

More than 54% of Americans 65 and older have been fully vaccinated, while more than 75% have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to the CDC vaccine data tracker.

However, younger groups remain vulnerable as the B.1.1.7 variant -- believed to be a more contagious and severe iteration of the disease -- is expected to circulate in the U.S.

"We're seeing in places like Michigan that the people who are now getting hospitalized by large numbers are people in their 30s and 40s," Wen told CNN. "And now we're even seeing children getting infected in larger numbers, too."

"What we're seeing is pockets of infection around the country, particularly in younger people who haven't been vaccinated, and also in school-aged children," former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS's 'Face the Nation' on Sunday (April 4.)

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