Key findings:
- Kentucky, Massachusetts and Missouri have the most at-risk millennials of severe COVID-19 symptoms.
- Minnesota, Nebraska and Utah have the lowest number of at-risk millennials.
- Recent data from Washington State indicates over 50% of all new cases are people under the age of 40.
- Millennials with underlying health conditions in New York have a similar death rate (80%) compared to older age groups.
- The national average rate of millennials with diabetes is 4.78%, asthma is 9.24% and hypertension is 17.18%.
Millennials may not be as invincible to the coronavirus as once thought, according to a leading physician, response coordinator, Dr. Deborah L. Birx. While the data is still trickling in day by day, a preliminary CDC report says that adults around the age of 26 to 40 have accounted for nearly 30% of the U.S. COVID-19 cases and 20% of related hospitalizations, and 2%-4% have been admitted to ICU for severe symptoms.
Dr. Birx recently urged in a Task Force press conference that millennials will play one of the most important roles to fight the COVID-19, as they are most likely to be out in public while being asymptomatic.
She claimed that "millennials are incredibly good about getting information out in a clear way, but more importantly, they are incredibly good about understanding how to protect one another, how to protect their parents and how to protect their grandparents.
"Right now we need the army of millennials out there doing everything that they can to protect themselves from getting infected because we know a lot of their cases will be mild or asymptomatic, and making sure that they're [taking] every single precaution...”
While millennials have a relatively much lower death rate of 0.2% according to the CDC, they still need to be wary of both contracting severe symptoms themselves and/or spreading it to someone else deemed high risk, particularly the elderly. Recent data from Washington State found that over 50% of all new cases as of May 10th were people under the age of 40. The predominantly millennial age group is beginning to account for most new cases in Europe. In European countries the millennial age group accounted for 37% (May 4th to June 1st) of new cases, which was up from 28% in a similar 30 day window in April. The increase in new cases among millennials becomes a worrisome trend as a “second wave” could be looming. Data in New York shows that millennials with underlying health conditions died at an 80% rate compared to 75% of all age groups. If the number of new cases among millennials continue to rise we could likely see a proportional number of deaths on the rise with millennials.
Another CDC report on hospitalization rates approximates 90% of hospitalized patients identified had one or more underlying conditions; the most common were hypertension (49.7%), obesity (48.3%), chronic lung disease (34.6%), diabetes (28.3%) and cardiovascular disease (27.8%). The data suggests the importance of preventive measures such as social distancing, face covering and general hygiene to protect the elderly and those with underlying health conditions as we strive to “crush the curve!” Dr. Birx pronounced.
Given the potential risk for millennials with underlying health conditions, we here at QuoteWizard analyzed the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence & Trends Data to find which states had the highest prevalence of millennials with underlying health conditions. We evaluated the prevalence of diabetes, asthma and hypertension among millennials in each state. We then took a composite ranking of each underlying health condition to see which states were most at risk.
We found that Kentucky, Massachusetts and Missouri have the highest prevalence of millennials with the chosen underlying health conditions. States at the top of the at-risk list do have the largest at-risk population of millennials. On the other side of the ranking, Minnesota, Nebraska and Utah have lower prevalence of millennials with underlying health conditions.
States with millennials most at risk of COVID-19
| Rank | State | Diabetes Rate % | Asthma Rate % | Hypertension Rate % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | 7.8 | 10.15 | 28.45 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6.2 | 9.9 | 18.5 |
| 3 | Missouri | 8.2 | 9.5 | 17.45 |
| 4 | Mississippi | 5.8 | 8.95 | 22.65 |
| 5 | Maine | 3.85 | 12.65 | 23.55 |
| 6 | Vermont | 4.8 | 11.9 | 18.75 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 5 | 13.95 | 17.4 |
| 8 | Michigan | 3.6 | 11.2 | 25.05 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 5.05 | 9.55 | 18.3 |
| 10 | Montana | 5.6 | 10.35 | 16.3 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 4.85 | 10.15 | 17.1 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 5.15 | 8.95 | 18.4 |
| 13 | Arkansas | 9.7 | 8.9 | 16.35 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 5.4 | 12.1 | 15.3 |
| 15 | West Virginia | 6.4 | 10.4 | 13.25 |
| 16 | Arizona | 5.8 | 9.3 | 15.45 |
| 17 | Oregon | 5.55 | 12.15 | 12.85 |
| 18 | New Mexico | 5.55 | 6.8 | 21.4 |
| 19 | Delaware | 5.1 | 10.75 | 14.25 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 6.8 | 8.85 | 15.25 |
| 21 | Maryland | 4.45 | 8.9 | 17.5 |
| 22 | Hawaii | 4.4 | 8.6 | 18.2 |
| 23 | North Dakota | 4 | 8.05 | 20.5 |
| 24 | Indiana | 4.65 | 8.9 | 16.7 |
| 25 | Idaho | 3.6 | 8.8 | 20 |
| 26 | Illinois | 5.3 | 8.55 | 16.05 |
| 27 | Louisiana | 3.7 | 9 | 16.7 |
| 28 | Colorado | 2.5 | 9.35 | 17.55 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 3.25 | 9.4 | 16.45 |
| 30 | Georgia | 4.15 | 8 | 18.2 |
| 31 | Ohio | 4.55 | 9.15 | 15.2 |
| 32 | New Jersey | 6.9 | 8.3 | 12.7 |
| 33 | New York | 3.7 | 9.8 | 14.9 |
| 34 | Alabama | 4.8 | 8.9 | 14.45 |
| 35 | California | 3.1 | 7.65 | 24.95 |
| 36 | Kansas | 4.4 | 9.6 | 12.75 |
| 37 | North Carolina | 5.2 | 8.05 | 13.45 |
| 38 | Virginia | 3.85 | 8.1 | 16.1 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | 2.6 | 9.35 | 15.95 |
| 40 | Florida | 4.75 | 8 | 15.4 |
| 41 | Wyoming | 5.2 | 7.95 | 14.25 |
| 42 | Iowa | 3.3 | 7.4 | 16.95 |
| 43 | Washington | 3.15 | 7.3 | 16.5 |
| 44 | Texas | 3.6 | 6.85 | 16.4 |
| 45 | Utah | 2.85 | 7.75 | 15.9 |
| 46 | Nebraska | 3.8 | 7.9 | 13.45 |
| 47 | Minnesota | 2.7 | 8.05 | 14.45 |
| - | South Dakota* | N/A | 7.7 | 26.65 |
| - | Alaska* | N/A | 6.6 | 16 |
| - | Nevada* | N/A | 7.2 | 19.55 |
| * Indicates incomplete diabetes rates for the millennial age groups. The designated states were not included in overall rankings due to incomplete data for the composite ranking. | ||||
Methodology
QuoteWizard analyzed CDC BRFSS Prevalence & Trends Data to find which states had the highest prevalence of millennials with at-risk health conditions for COVID-19. We analyzed prevalence trends in each state for serious underlying medical conditions, which include: diabetes, asthma and hypertension. We took a composite ranking score of each underlying health condition to compile a ranking of all 50 states. States with the highest ranking are considered to have the highest population of at-risk millennials to COVID-19.
References:
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