蜜柚直播

Dr. Cara Christ said the biggest group of positive test results is now among those 20 through 44 years old.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e likely not the ones that are going to have the outcomes and the risk factors from COVID-19,鈥� she told Capitol Media Services. 鈥淏ut we need everybody to keep in mind that all of us have connections to loved ones and family members that are high risk or people out in the community,鈥� Christ said.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to protect by containing the spread.鈥�

The trick now, Christ said, is crafting a message that is designed with that audience in mind.

鈥淲e do want to see these numbers come down and we want to see the percent positivity go down,鈥� Christ said.

That, however, means convincing individuals to act safely 鈥� including those who may believe that even if they don鈥檛 think they鈥檙e invincible that contracting the virus won鈥檛 really hurt them.

And that, Christ said, comes back to the messages of physically distancing and wearing a mask while out in public when staying 6 feet from others is impossible.

That message, however, is not getting across to those in the 20- to 44-year-old demographic, she said, as evidenced by the high number of people in that age group who are testing positive for the virus 鈥� and as shown by videos of people crowding 蜜柚直播 bars without masks.

These are the people who are less likely to suffer severe adverse effects. But they鈥檙e clearly coming down with 鈥� and probably transmitting 鈥� the disease.

Consider: Of more than 43,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, more than 46% fall into that age group.

But they make up less than a third of the population.

Yet they鈥檙e not dying at the same rate of the disease, accounting for just 67 of the more than 1,300 deaths.

Christ said exhortations for these people to protect themselves apparently does not work. So that, she said, requires a change in the message.

鈥淲e need everyone to think about, 鈥榊ou may not feel sick, you may not think that you鈥檝e been infected,鈥欌�� Christ said. And a lot of people appear asymptomatic.

鈥淪o it鈥檚 really important that if you are going to be within 6 feet of somebody you have got to wear that mask,鈥� she said.

Christ said it may not be that younger people see themselves as invincible.

鈥淚 think a pandemic and a virus, they鈥檙e scary things, they鈥檙e hard to comprehend,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I think if you are not seeing the direct outcomes, you may not think that it applies.鈥�

Christ said her agency had the same problem crafting a message during the opioid epidemic of trying to reach those who didn鈥檛 see it as their issue.

In that case, she said, the health department crafted some very scary messages 鈥� scary enough so that her son, 8 at the time, came crying to her after seeing some on social media.

鈥淚t gave me that opportunity to talk with him about the dangers of opioids.鈥� Christ said. 鈥淎nd so, it worked.鈥�

But finding a message that resonates when warning people about a virus, she said, is something quite different. And that may be telling people they need to think about more than how the pandemic affects them personally.

鈥淎 lot of them have grandparents and loved ones that they love and don鈥檛 want to see anything happen to,鈥� Christ said, sending a message that 鈥渢his is really, really dangerous for those you love and so we need to do everything we can to protect them.鈥�

It鈥檚 not just that category of 20- to 44-year-olds with a sense that they鈥檙e not affected that is complicating efforts by the state to curb the spread of COVID-19. The problem, according to Gov. Doug Ducey, extends to those even younger.

The governor said that, for a long time, he didn鈥檛 personally know anyone who had the virus.

鈥淏ut just recently, I know a lot of people that have contracted this,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I want to tell you where they contracted this: at graduation parties, at private gatherings in homes.鈥�

Christ said reaching this group isn鈥檛 a simple matter of telling them that, while they won鈥檛 get sick, they can bring the disease home to others.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not going to work with them,鈥� she said.

One thing she said her agency has learned is that, when dealing with teens, it鈥檚 probably best that the message isn鈥檛 coming from the government.

鈥淚t probably should come from a trusted source for that group,鈥� Christ said.

At the very least, that means using different media.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not going to watch the news,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not going to be on the same social media sites that their parents are.鈥�

And then the message itself needs to be different for teens than it is for adults.

鈥淔or instance, when you鈥檙e looking at vaping, what resonated with the kids was, 鈥楧on鈥檛 lie to me, don鈥檛 tell me this is safe when it鈥檚 actually not,鈥欌�� Christ said.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to find what resonates with them,鈥� Christ said.