Infection gripping more people in 21-40 age group

Surat: Analysing the Covid-19 data of the past 10 days, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has found young people, in the age brackets of 21 to 40 years, to be the most susceptible in the spread of infection in the Diamond City.
“We have analysed the Covid-19 infection patterns in terms of age group for the last 10 days and found that the young people are the most affected in the city. They account for 42.5 percent of total Covid-19 positive people followed by people between 41 to 60 years of age groups,” Banchhanidhi Pani, Surat municipal chief told TOI.
Explaining the reasons that may have led to the sudden vulnerability of young people, Pani said, “The young people are somewhat careless while taking precautions as so long they remained less impacted in this pandemic. Again, people of this age group also have to go out of home for work and engage in various economic activities.”
Cautioning the young people to be extra cautious while going out or at work, Pani said, “The young should remember that they threaten the older members of their family, and more so members with comorbidity, with virus infection from their carelessness.”
SMC has also analysed zone-wise data about age groups of infected people.
“Limbayat zone had the highest number of Covid-19 cases (21 to 40 age group) with 50.9 percent, followed by Varachha (A) and Varachha (B) zone as both zones account for 47.7 percent cases,” said an SMC official.
Limbayat zone is a textile hub while Varachha (A) and Varachha (B) zone are diamond polishing hubs. Economic activities in all these three zones are returning to normal conditions, the official added.
Talking to TOI, Dr Parag Shah, Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, SMIMER Hospital, said, “Young people are getting infected as they have to go out to work. However, getting infected depends on how much one is exposed to the virus in a particular environment. There is an increased risk of these young people turning super spreaders too as they return home and most likely bring infections with them and infect the older family members.”
Pani further said that in order to contain spread of virus in the city, SMC has started ‘professional’ contact tracing.
“In this, we trace people at the workplace to find out who all were sitting with the infected person, or who they met at their professional work and then isolating them,” he added.
Recently, SMC had found that there were more than 700 such families in which more than three members of each family were found to be infected with Covid-19 in the city.