Possible, but do you have statistics on the likelihood of this occurring?
Currently the cumulative rate of COVID hospitalization for 18-29 yr old cohort is 30/100k population. The rate for 5-17 is 3.5/100k population. Of those younger lab-confirmed RT-PCR positive through May 30 (which we know is a small minority of total infections particularly early on in the pandemic when testing was scarce) the cdc indicates between 0.4-0.5 percent required ICU. The rate of asymptomatic infections in young people is higher than at older ages. Some case studies indicating up to 81% of infected can be asymptomatic.
So, we (still) don’t clearly know the percentage of infected that go on to need hospitalization (supplemental oxygen > room air) or ICU but it appears to be a small fraction of a percent of infected. Many of those have preexisting problems. Experience with SARS indicates 1/3 of ICU recoveries had lung fibrosis or bone necrosis from steroids, some other issues. It’s possible there can be other complications like sepsis, amputation, heart injury in a small number.
Now, that’s scary if you’re that small percentage. But consider the relative risk of severe COVID injury to TBI, permanent back injury, functional and neurological deficits, amputation, crush injury, sight or hearing loss, hospitalization and surgery-related infection, sepsis, organ damage resulting from vehicle accidents. There are millions of injury causing crashes every year in addition to the thousands of deaths in the 18-29 age group. We have to be able to assess relative risk of our activities. Some can accept them, some can’t or won’t. I don’t blame anyone that wants to sit out the year if they are worried.
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