COVID-19 By Age | Hammond Institute

COVID-19 Age Patterns for Missouri

As elsewhere, the story of the coronavirus and its effects includes a significant age dimension in Missouri. It has been particularly deadly for those over 70, but it is those in their 20s who have become the most infected. The age dimension is summarized below. To see more about the state of the virus in Missouri and the St. Louis area, go to our visual resources page.

Confirmed Cases

Since the start of the pandemic, the average age of new cases has been falling as testing has spread beyond high-risk groups. About 51% of cases have been younger than 40 while about 21% have been 60 or older. In mid-June, the shares were, respectively, about 33% and 60%.

The rapid increase in cases that Missouri saw in July was fueled by those under 40. This trend stopped in early August, returned through early September with the restart of colleges and universities, and slowed last week.

In mid-June, Missourians 80 and older had, by far, the highest rate of infection across age groups. Now, however, 20-29 years of age have the highest rate of infection, and 20-49 year olds are right behind. Those under 20 remain, by far, the least likely to have been infected.

Deaths

COVID-19 deaths in Missouri have, as elsewhere, fallen disproportionately on senior citizens. As of September 15th, about 76 percent of deaths were among those aged 70 and older. There have been only 18 deaths among those younger than 40 years of age, and none among those below 20 years of age.

Fatality rates (the percentage of confirmed cases that have resulted in deaths) are strongly related to age. Relative to those aged 60-69 years old, those aged 80 and older are about six times as likely to die if infected. In contrast, about a tenth of one percent of those under 40 who have been infected have died as a result.

There has been a recent increase in the share of COVID-19 deaths of people in their 60s, but the 70+ age group still makes up the bulk of those who have died. In the past week, 74 percent of those who died were 70 or older.

Given the relatively small share of Missouri's population aged 80 and older, the group's share of deaths reflects a much higher incidence relative to other age groups. Almost 34 out of every 10,000 Missourians aged 80 or older have died from the virus, which is almost 10 times the rate for those in their 60s and triple the rate for those in their 70s.

COVID-19 Age Patterns for Missouri

Confirmed Cases

Deaths

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