More young people being hospitalized for COVID-19, experts say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — AdventHealth officials said their hospitalizations continue to climb.

More than 400 patients are in AdventHealth’s hospitals right now with COVID-19. The patients are not as sick, but they are younger than we saw before.

The coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdom is now the most common strain of coronavirus in the United States.

That is partly to blame for the infections.

READ: Florida reports nearly 6,700 new COVID-19 cases, 84 virus-related deaths

A year ago, we watched as the elderly were filling up hospitals, gravely ill and dying with COVID-19.

Now that millions of seniors have been vaccinated, doctors said those being admitted to the hospital now are younger: 25, 35 and 45 years old.

Throughout the previous waves of COVID-19, children and young adults eluded the pandemic’s gravest consequences, exhibiting mild symptoms or none at all.

READ: Here’s where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in your county

Some medical professionals say faster-spreading variants are sending more to the hospital, others say social gatherings and sports are also to blame.

In almost all of those cases, patients are primarily unvaccinated, doctors said.

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