BOISE, Idaho — We're now getting a better glimpse into who is being affected by COVID-19 in Idaho.
“A lot of the infection rate is driven by who is going out and interacting with other people,” said Dr. Cynthia Curl, Boise State University's Department of Community and Environmental Health assistant professor.
Demographic information from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare shows the age, sex and race of people infected with the coronavirus and those who have died from the virus in the state. It shows, the virus has hit people of all ages.
“I think that's something a lot of people notice, because when we first started hearing about this disease it seemed like a disease of the elderly,” Curl said.
She told KTVB what's interesting about this data is the infection rate is higher in women than men, and that's something also seen in other states and countries.
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“But when we look at the death rate, the death rate is higher in men than women,” Curl said.
She adds the death rate is highest in people over 80, but is still high in those over the age of 70 and the risk increases with age.
"The death rate is much higher in the elderly and that's always been true, but the infection rate is across all groups," Curl said.
The data shows those in the 18-to-29 age group currently have the most cases when it comes to people testing positive for COVID-19 and what we're seeing here at home is on par with what's being seen across the nation, according to Curl.
“When we look at the United States as a whole, they break it down in the CDC into the age group of 18-44 and 36 percent of the infections are in that rate overall, which is identical to ours,” Curl said.
People between the ages of 50-59 are next. Followed by those who are between 40 and 49 years old.
The data also breaks down race and ethnicity.
“So what that is actually showing us is that the 94 percent the majority of the deaths are in non-Hispanic whites,” Curl said.
As the data can change by the day or even hour, Curl says it's important to follow the governor's order to stay home, so we can return to how things once were.
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