People in 20s-40s driving corona virus spread in Asia

IRIB - The World Health Organization said Tuesda that people in their 20s to 40s are driving the spread of the new coronavirus in Asia, with many showing mild to no symptoms of the disease.

Takeshi Kasai, the WHO's Manila-based regional director for the Western Pacific, said during a press conference that many asymptomatic people in these age groups could unknowingly be passing the virus to others. "This increases the risk of spillovers to the most vulnerable -- the elderly, the sick people in long term care, people who live in densely populated urban areas and in certain rural areas," Kasai said, adding that efforts must be redoubled to protect vulnerable communities.

"Those are the age groups that usually, even when you get the infection, you might not develop the obvious symptoms that push you to go to testing," he added. More than 400,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the Western Pacific Region, home to almost 1.9 billion people across 37 countries and areas. Those include nearly 9,300 deaths, according to the health organization's latest tally.