In parts of Europe, new coronavirus cases have been creeping up again.

But this time, it’s different: Young people are driving up the virus infection curve https://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

Early in the crisis, elderly populations accounted for the greatest share of cases.

Now, people aged between 20 and 39 account for about 35% to 40% of new cases in certain countries http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

These charts illustrate that shift, using the date bars and pubs reopened as the dividing line for gauging how things evolved as restrictions were lifted:

ENGLAND:

20-29: 11.2% of cases pre-easing to 19.8% post-easing
80+: 21.8% to 6.9% http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

BELGIUM:

20-29: 9.3% to 20.4%
80+: 29.8% to 5.5% http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

NETHERLANDS

20-29: 9.7% to 23.3%
80+: 23.2% to 3.8% http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

SPAIN

15-29: 4.7% to 21.8
80+: 20.2% to 9.8% http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

Germany’s age breakdown early in the crisis wasn’t so skewed toward the elderly. But even it's seeing a similar trend.

Globally, the proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds infected has increased three-fold in the past five months
http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

So what’s going on?

Increased testing could be a factor. At the height of the outbreak, only the very sick -- who tend to be older -- were able to get tested. Now, more widespread testing may just be catching milder or asymptomatic cases in younger people http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

But social-distancing fatigue also plays a role, especially in those younger age groups that don’t feel as at risk.

The WHO has even pleaded with the world’s youth to resist their urge to party http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

It’s not surprising that young adults are trying to return to a normal life.

During lockdown, many twenty-somethings found themselves living and working in the bedrooms of their cramped, rented accommodation http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

In Britain, people aged 16 to 24 have only about 26 square meters of liveable room in their homes on average.

Even for those who escaped to the relative comfort of their familial homes, it can still be lonely being separated from peers http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

If young people protect themselves from the virus, they’ll also be protecting:

Older family members
Colleagues
Fellow commuters

But how do we get them to do that? http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

It’s not as simple as asking them to resist the urge to party.

Young urbanites are far more likely to live in shared accommodation. That increases the number of potential transmissions, especially when each housemate has a separate social or work life http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

Clearer and more consistent messaging could help.

It’s currently not always easy to know what’s permissible and what isn’t at any given time http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

Health officials could also encourage vigilance by sounding the alarm about young Covid patients who're reporting prolonged, lingering symptoms.

They could go straight to where young people spend much of their time: social media http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z 

In Preston, a city in the north of England that’s just reentered lockdown, the council leader has urged young people, “Don’t kill granny.”

Done right, such slogans can be a simple but effective way of reminding everyone that we’re in this together http://trib.al/hr7Aq8z