(CNN) -- The World Health Organization has issued a stark warning to young people during the novel coronavirus pandemic who believe their age may protect them from the disease.

"Today, I have a message for young people: You are not invincible. This coronavirus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you. Even if you don’t get sick, the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday.

Tedros said he is grateful so many young people are, “spreading the word and not the virus” adding, “every day, we are learning more about this coronavirus and the disease it causes. One of the things we are learning is that although older people are the hardest hit, younger people are not spared.”

"Data from many countries clearly show that people under 50 make up a significant proportion of patients requiring hospitalization,” Tedros said.