ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Teens are being teens, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said Wednesday morning. They’re hanging out with friends, going to events and sometimes going to school-related activities.
“Normal events but during an extraordinary time,” Page commented during his scheduled COVID-19 briefing.
But those normal teenager things are leading to a concerning trend in the county, he added.
Since July, the rate of new coronavirus cases among those who are 15-19 years old has steadily increased, but it’s become especially noticeable over the past few weeks.
"For the past few months, the rate of new cases has been the highest in the 20-29-year-old range. More recently, we’ve seen that same rate of increase in the 15-19-year-old range. This is especially noticeable over the past few weeks,” he explained.
Page shared the graphic below during his update Wednesday to demonstrate the increase in cases among those who are 20 and younger.
Page said the St. Louis County Department of Public Health has been recording almost 20 new cases a day among the older teens.
According to St. Louis County’s most recent in-depth two-week breakdown of numbers, between Aug. 4 and Aug. 17, diagnoses increased by 13% among people ages 10-19 years old.
The prevalence of COVID-19 among those tested in the county was highest among people ages 10-19 years old (14.1%) and those 20-29 years old (9.9%).
The positivity rate was highest in the 10-19 age group; it was the only age range above 10%.
Contact tracers have been working to pinpoint how the virus is spreading among the age group, but so far Page said the increase isn’t tied to any single event or gathering.
“Just our teenagers who are out and about,” Page said.
The increase isn’t unexpected, he added, “but it’s worsened.”
Part of the problem is that younger COVID-19 patients don’t know they have the virus or their symptoms aren’t as severe, Page warned.
“But we know that they can also take it home and spread it to others who have a higher risk of becoming ill,” he explained.
Page reminded residents of all ages to continue practicing social distancing and wearing a mask in public, which is required in the county and the city.
“Please be diligent,” Page stressed. “And if you have symptoms – no matter how mild – please stay home.”