NCDC: Ages 20-40 Spreading COVID-19 But Those Bearing The Brunt Are Above 50

Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has his temperature checked during a diplomatic meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, Nigeria March 12, 2020. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

The Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has lamented that young persons between the age of 20-40 are mainly responsible for the spread of the novel coronavirus while patients above 50 years old are the ones bearing the brunt of fatality.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the director-general of the agency made this known on Thursday while speaking at the briefing of the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja.

As of Wednesday, Nigeria had recorded 26,484 COVID-19 cases with 603 deaths.

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Hr said, “As more people are infected across the world as you might have seen, ten million. It is increasingly obvious that there is high transmission among younger people, not children but people aged between 20 and 40 are really driving the spread of this virus. But those that are bearing the brunt of it are people aged 50 and above,” he said.

“Three out of five people who die from COVID-19 are 50 years above. So we have to work harder. All of us, collectively to protect our elderly.”