Coronavirus official explains why millennials are 'key' to stopping the spread

By Kelly McCarthy

A top U.S. health official has repeatedly called millennials key players in the fight to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx explained to ABC News why she believes millennials are so crucial during this global health emergency.

"The millennials are incredibly good about getting information out in a clear way, but more importantly, they are incredibly good about understanding how to protect one another, how to protect their parents, and how to protect their grandparents," she said.

"Right now we need the army of millennials out there doing everything that they can to protect themselves from getting infected because we know a lot of their cases will be mild or asymptomatic, and making sure that they're doing every single precaution to protect their parents and grandparents," Brix added.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Sophomore Sadia Demby moves her belongings through Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University, on March 12, 2020, in Cambridge, Mass. Students were asked to move out of their dorms by March 15 due to the coronavirus risk.

Millennial NBA star Mitchell Donovan, 23, tested positive for COVID-19 last week and is self-isolating. He told ABC News he has no fever and is otherwise asymptomatic, which he called "the scariest part."

"I could walk down the street if it wasn't public knowledge that I was sick. You wouldn't know it," Mitchell said. "I think that's the scariest part about this virus. You may seem fine, be fine and you never know who you may be talking to, who they're going home to."

Brix further explained how the geographic makeup in the U.S. highlights why millennials are a key demographic when it comes to combating the spread in densely populous cities.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Beach goers make their way to the exit from South Beach as the city closes it in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, on March 15, 2020 in Miami Beach, Fla. Miami Beach city officials closed the beach, popular with college spring breakers, and asked them to refrain from large gatherings where the coronavirus could spread.

"When you look at data, it's very important to integrate both health data and public health data and cases with census," she said. "If you look at every large city across America at the census bar graph, you'll see that in every single case the largest numbers, about 22% in many cities, are millennials."

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx: "If you are sick, no matter who you are, please stay home." https://t.co/1TBAL8cn2G pic.twitter.com/i907c1EkjL

— ABC News (@ABC) March 16, 2020

Brix pointed to China and South Korea as examples of how social distancing and quarantines are shrinking the number of infected.

Brix, who also helped lead the global fight against the AIDS epidemic for more than three decades, spoke to the latest restrictions from the White House.

"Our job every day in the task force is to bring the most recent data, our most recent scientific evidence, from around the globe, and all of the new models that we've been working on to really understand what elements of mitigation at the community level could have the biggest impact on stopping the spread of the virus to protect our older generation and ensure that they don't become infected," Brix said.

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A bar posts a closed sign in the early evening in Brooklyn after a decree that all bars and restaurants shutdown by 8 pm, in New York City, on March 16, 2020, as much of the nation takes extra precautions due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The new guidelines call on all Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people; avoid eating and drinking in bars, restaurants, and public food courts; and encourage schooling from home across the country.

At a press conference about the new measures on Monday, Brix called millennials the "core group that will stop this virus" and reiterated the request that the largest generation "be separated" even at home.

"The one effort we can have is every single American taking responsibility and making those sacrifices," Brix said.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

An aerial view shows an area of South Beach that the city closed in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus on March 16, 2020 in Miami Beach, Fla. Miami Beach city officials closed the area of the beach that is popular with college spring breakers and asked them to refrain from large gatherings where COVID-19 could spread.

Celebrities have also urged millennials to take action by staying home and practicing social distancing.

Stay at home as much as possible. Listen to the experts, ignore the morons (foreheads). We will get through this together. pic.twitter.com/FRg41QehuB

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 16, 2020

Since the transmission of the virus has continued across the U.S., there has been an influx of attention on social media to sway millennials to stay away from crowds.

The hashtag "staythefhome" and other similar viral tags have been used across Twitter and other platforms to urge the importance of social distancing and separation in an effort to protect others from potential harm.