WHO SAYS YOUNG ALSO HAVE RISKS

Young people "are not invincible", the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Thursday, warning of growing evidence that patients with mild COVID-19 can have long-term health issues.

"Evidence suggests that spikes in cases in some countries are being driven in part by younger people letting down their guard during the northern hemisphere summer," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, according to a Euronews report.

"We have said it before and we'll say it again: young people are not invincible. Young people can be infected; young people can die; and young people can transmit the virus to others," he added.

It comes after Dr Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, told Euronews more and more young Europeans were testing positive for COVID-19.

"We see from reports both nationally and sub-nationally that now the spike in cases in quite a number of countries is primarily in age cohorts between 20 and 39," he said.

In several countries, including France and Germany, health experts have said that more young people are testing positive for the virus. Officials said that young people have been social distancing less often and have more contacts.