SWFL nurse practitioner tells youth to think of their grandparents

Coronavirus (COVID-19) does not impact senior citizens alone. We are learning more young people are testing positive for coronavirus. A 19-year-old Collier County man who recently traveled to Italy has the virus.

A nurse practitioner we spoke to Friday has a warning for young men and women: Think of your grandparents.

Early on, most of the positive cases in the state of Florida involved people in their fifties, sixties, and seventies. Some wondered if older generations were more disproportionately affected. But, as time has gone on, we are seeing more young people test positive.

“Although older people are the hardest hit, younger people are not spared,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization director-general. “The choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else.”

Younger people have been a part of the crowds packing the beaches until recent closures. They’re also part of a larger group being asked to stay away from places such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

“It tends to target those who are elderly and those who are immuno-compromised or have other underlying medical conditions,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Friday, DeSantis announced seven new cases of coronavirus at an assisted living facility on the east coast, two of those cases deadly.

“I can’t emphasize enough, we have to keep [COVID-19] out of these facilities,” said Dr. Scott Rivkees, Florida Surgeon Genral.

Although we do not know if any of those cases are linked to community spread, one local medical professional hopes it serves as a reminder for anyone doubting the CDC’s guidelines.

“I tell them to think of their own grandparents,” said Jane Cox, a local pediatric nurse practitioner. “And that they wouldn’t want to spread something to them. So the best thing to do is order pizza and watch movies and ride this thing out for the full 14 days.”

The Florida division of emergency management released information saying the most heavily affected age groups in our state are people in their fifties and sixties. But right behind them are people in their 20s.