More than half of France's coronavirus patients in intensive care are under the age of 60, according to the country's top health official, CNN reported.

Health Ministry Director-General Jerome Salomon told a news conference that there are 300 serious cases of coronavirus in intensive care, stressing that "more than 50%... are under 60."

This suggests that the common perception that it is mainly the elderly at risk might not be true, according to Business Insider.

France has more than 5,000 coronavirus cases, making it the fourth-worst-hit nation in Europe, and is one of several countries to impose lockdown measures in an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease.

However, officials said many people continue to go outside to public places, which makes it more difficult to contain the outbreak.

The higher rate of non-elderly in France in intensive care due to coronavirus, however, does not necessarily indicate a world-wide trend.

The World Health Organization guidelines and recommendations suggest that those seriously harmed by the virus are indeed disproportionately senior citizens.

A study published last month by China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention backed up that theory, stating that it found older people were more seriously inflicted by the virus.

And in Italy, the worst-hit nation in Europe, the average age of people who have died from the virus is 81. However, that country also has one of the the world's oldest populations, which could very well be a factor in skewing the statistics.

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