At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mantra was that elders and others with health complications needed priority attention, where prevention was concerned. Eight months into public health restrictions, that’s still true. But there is mounting concern that youth, especially teens and young adults, have their own vulnerabilities that must not be forgotten.

There are learning lags for those who struggle with online education platforms. But the isolation that comes along with the remote learning experience also leaves an emotional scar, as young people suffer the loss of crucial social interactions. For older kids in particular, friends are everything, and they are all grieving that loss to some extent.

As for getting students back to on-campus learning, Gov. David Ige on Monday gave assurances that state Department of Education officials are evaluating case counts in communities to plan for bringing more students back to the classroom.

Ige said deploying new supplies of antigen tests should enable more students and teachers to return on a part-time basis, eventually transitioning to a full resumption of face-to-face teaching.

“Many of our educators know that in-person learning is really the best place to be,” the governor said, speaking on the “Spotlight Hawaii” webcast presented by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “They are actively balancing the interests of students getting back to learning with the public health interests of our community.”

Teens may be undergoing an additional measure of trauma, not to be overlooked. It’s starting to show up in various studies. America’s Promise Alliance, a partnership of national nonprofits, businesses and others, issued one report compiled by its research institute, the Center for Promise.

The takeaways are startling: 3,300 youths, age 13-19 and surveyed between May and June, were spending fewer hours with online learning, but about 25% also reported feeling disconnected from their school communities.

The study showed even more youths reporting “an increase in losing sleep because of worry, feeling unhappy or depressed, feeling constantly under strain, or experiencing a loss of confidence in themselves.”

Research has consistently shown the correlation between teen socialization and emotional health. A 2017 study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Mental Health indicated close friendships in midadolescence increased self-worth and decreased anxiety and depression.

Fortunately, some specific attention to this issue is being paid in Hawaii, which has its own reasons to be concerned. A youth suicide prevention and awareness organization, The Jason Foundation Inc., is partnering with Hawaii Behavioral Health to develop outreach offices to provide training programs for parents, teachers, counselors and others about the “silent epidemic” of youth suicide. The programs start on Jan. 1.

The foundation cites a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finding that 1 in 10 Hawaii high school youth reportedly attempted suicide in the last 12 months. It rightly underscores that many of these young people will exhibit clear warning signs before such an attempt, so intervention is critical.

Anything that can be done to address the loneliness and isolation of teens during the ongoing pandemic — including deploying testing and, soon, vaccines to reconnect them with school communities — will be crucial to saving young lives.

Hawaii must focus its efforts on helping those who could succumb to the emotional, as well as the physical, ravages of COVID-19.