Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

July 27, 2020

Decreasing Median Age of COVID-19 Cases in the United States Changing Epidemiology or Changing Surveillance

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  • [Pre-print, not peer reviewed] Using PCR test results from a national reference laboratory (n=277,601), Greene et al. compared the age distribution of positive SARS-CoV-2 test results between March-April and June-July and found that the median age of people testing positive has declined over time from 41 years (IQR 29.0-54.1) to 36 years (IQR 24.0-50.2).  
  • A sub-analysis showed that this trend was only observed for outpatient populations, while the minority of positive tests coming from inpatients (2%) showed an increase in age over time. Additionally, the test positivity rate increased among patients under 50 years old and decreased among patients over 50 years. 

Greene et al. (July 24, 2020). Decreasing Median Age of COVID-19 Cases in the United States Changing Epidemiology or Changing Surveillance. Pre-print downloaded July 27 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.22.20160119