Over 100 days in quarantine have come and gone for New Jerseyans. Yet COVID-19 is rising among young people. Is this worth worrying over?

Stay alert, not anxious, advised Dr. Mikhail Mike Varshavski of Chatham Family Medicine, in a virtual interview hosted Thursday by the Atlantic Health System, parent organization of Morristown Medical Center.

During his half-hour talk, titled Community Conversations: Why COVID-19 Is Increasing Among Young Adults, Varshavski credited an increase in COVID cases to the increased availability of testing.

During a COVID briefing earlier this month, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichelli said New Jersey has seen a 10 percent increase in coronavirus infections in the 18-29 age group since April. Persichelli attributed this to partying.

While acknowledging partying has had an effect, Varshavski said there are multi-variables why young folks are getting this.

One reason for the increase, he said, is that more young people are getting tested.

When the pandemic began, we really urged people to save testing for those who really need it because we were short on supplies.

Since this increase in cases should not be seen as a red flag, according to Varshavski, we absolutely need to return back to normal, but we need to do it smart.

If we just keep America shut down completely, we are now increasing the harms and really getting limited benefit return on that, he said. Isolation for the human mind is toxic.

As the total days in quarantine are stacking up, young folks, a demographic excluding children and those over 40, are experiencing caution fatigue.

We actually have something similar to that in the healthcare space called Alarm Fatigue, he said.

If you have a monitor thats constantly beeping, giving off alarmswhen its doing it too much, our brains stop paying attention to it and thats dangerous.

Therefore, it is imperative for individuals to return back to their routines. Safely, that is.

The main thing that causes anxiety with this pandemic is the break up of our routine,Varshavski said,.

He suggested getting people back to work and reopening schools.

Does that mean theres a one-size-fits-all solution? he asked. Absolutely not.

Varshavski suggests constantly analyzing data from schools to monitor the potential spread of the virus and ensure that it is limited.

At the same time, he said its still vital that people avoid high-risk activities, especially young people.

Asymptomatic or presymptomatic, which describes those not yet showing symptoms, can be spreading this virus rapidly, Varshavski said.

As a young person, you could be the super spreader that gets your grandparents sick, your family members sick, the people around you at your job sick, who may not have a great immune system.

In the meantime, before everything reopens, he said it is important to stay in contact with family and friends. While following social distancing guidelines, of course.

If you are communicating with loved ones virtually during this time, Varshavski continued, it also is wise to recognize the dangers of spreading misinformation on social media.

When viewing a misleading graph posted on Instagram or a fake quote shared on Facebook, you should pause and take care before you share, Varshavski said.

Sometimes, he said, sharing unreliable social media content will cause more anxiety and damage.

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Chatham Doctor: Beware 'caution fatigue' with COVID-19, re-open safely - Morristown Green