Many new recruits to the US Marines this past summer had evidence they had been infected with coronavirus -- a finding that supports the idea that healthy young people may be carrying and spreading the virus without ever knowing it, researchers reported Tuesday.
The team at the Naval Medical Research Center tested 3,249 Marine recruits who were quarantined between May and September, researchers reported in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
They found:
- About 1% tested positive for coronavirus when they arrived.
- 9% had antibodies for coronavirus, indicating they had been previously infected.
- Nearly 18% of Hispanic recruits, and 15% of Black recruits, tested positive for antibodies
Young adults in the US have shown higher levels of Covid-19 antibodies than people of other ages -- but they are usually asymptomatic, and these cases go unnoticed, the researchers said.
“Our cohort was primarily young adults, many of whom had never held full-time jobs and might not represent essential workers,” they added.
“Among persons 18–20 years of age, low adherence to recommendations for social distancing, wearing of masks, and other public health measures might increase their level of exposure compared with older persons.”