Florida official warns younger people to take COVID-19 seriously

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Orange County health officials are urging people to take the pandemic seriously, especially younger people.

They said that more than half of all new infections were reported in young people between the ages of 15 and 35. They want them to be responsible for preventing the spread of COVID-19 since it could endanger older at-risk people.

Over the last two weeks, Orange County's positivity rate has crept up to 4.8 percent as the state's restrictions on capacity limits to restaurants and other public places have relaxed. Orange County's top health official Dr. Raul Pino said that 53 percent of those positive cases are between the ages 15 and 35.

"I have a message for anyone who is in that area of age in our county. Please help us control and keep the pandemic below 5 percent of our community. You are a very active segment of our population and it's critically important that you follow CDC guidelines and protect yourself and others," Dr. Pino explained. "It's not only the right thing to do, it's the ethical thing to do."

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He believes that any spike in cases can increase the chances of spreading the virus to more vulnerable populations.

According to state data released on Monday, Orange County's death toll due to the coronavirus is now at 516 people.

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.