'Wrecked our lives': Families of 3 young adults who died from COVID-19 share their stories
Michael Lang, an 18-year-old who grew up in a close-knit community in La Grange, Illinois, was ready for the next chapter in his life: college. The teen, who loved the outdoors and fishing, wasn't anxious about heading off to the University of Dayton during the pandemic.
His mother, Kady Lang, told she wasn't "overly concerned" either. Students were tested before going to campus per university policy, and many of Michael's friends had COVID-19 in July and recovered within several weeks, she said. "Hearing about all these other kids that were fine from it, it was more the older generation that seemed to be heaving a harder time," she said.
But within months, Michael Lang contracted COVID-19 and died.
Young people are not just potential spreaders, but also are at risk for complications and death, as otherwise healthy, young people have died. Over time, the average age of those infected has slowly gone down. While people 65 years and over have accounted for 79% of the fatalities in the USA, a number of younger people have died from the disease. In USA at least 410 people in the 15-24 age group have died while young adults ages 25-34 have accounted for at least 1,725 COVID-19-related deaths. And even the youngest Americans (children under 15) have not been invulnerable to the disease - 81 died at last count.
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