NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine say the demographics for COVID-19 infections are trending from younger people to people in their 50s or older.
Elaborating on a heat map released Tuesday, Dr. John Graves, associate professor at Vanderbilt, said data suggests the older population are now spreading the coronavirus.
Data for the majority of the pandemic showed younger people, age 30 or less, were mainly transferring the virus.
“We know that the risk of hospitalization is higher the older the person who is infected is, and we have seen some evidence that hospitals in these areas are starting to see COVID patients," said Graves.
Researchers also said contact tracing data hasn't been able to identify why the spread is trending towards the older population in Tennessee's rural counties.
Governor Bill Lee also said it's unclear why rural counties are seeing a spike in cases.
“Some of the mayors are having trouble chasing down where the cases are deriving from. With that knowledge they could potentially get the word out so people can stay safe in their communities,” said Graves.
In Columbia, Mayor Chaz Molder released the following statement about the issue:
"We remain very concerned about the continued spread of COVID-19 in Columbia and across our region. In many ways, our numbers today are worse than they were during the stay at home and other shutdowns that occurred over the spring and summer. We will continue to look to the governor and the department of health not only for continued guidance, but for exercising leadership and setting the example how we can work together to combat this virus."
