"Nearly 4 in every 10 cases requiring hospitalization involved people under the age of 55, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
They've said all along it's more younger people that have been spreading it. Which makes sense, because these are the people out there working, and in the service industry, etc. Younger people also might feel immortal and flout the restrictions, as seen by all the young people crowding the beaches before they were shut down.
With that in mind, it's not surprising that a great deal of the people catching this would be under 55. So the 40% rate doesn't really mean much unless it's accompanied by what percentage of cases are under 55, and what percentage of people in that age group need to be hospitalized. Then we'd have a clearer picture of what is going on. I also wonder if people are being hospitalized to err on the safe side - if a doctor releases a pt. and he later dies, he might have a lawsuit on his hands.
I've noticed a lot of "it only kills elderly and infirm" comments, here and elsewhere, as a rationalization for ignoring the suggestions to isolate.
I think a lot of people point that out, not to rationalize not isolating, but rather to try to quell panic. It does make it sound easy to dismiss. But I want to point out that, contrary to popular belief, old people are people too. If you don't die, y'all will end up being old people yourselves, and that will probably come around quicker than you might believe.