Health Experts Weigh In On Why Young People Fall Victim To COVID-19

When Brandy Luderer, wife of 30-year-old Ben, tested positive for COVID-19, it came as no surprise to her husband that he would also get infected a few days after. Ben started to feel sick after that, but he thought it was nothing to worry about. After all, both Brandy and Ben were young and healthy, with no underlying conditions. Several days after, Ben’s symptoms became worse, and one day, his wife discovered him lifeless in bed.

Severe Symptoms

The symptoms that Brandy had were a low-grade temperature that the doctors did not even consider to be fever and some congestion. When Ben started feeling unwell, he was not that worried since his symptoms were not all that serious. After some time, however, the symptoms of Ben became severe. He had breathing difficulties, and on the last Friday of March, he said he has got to go to a hospital.

Brandy said Ben received oxygen at the hospital and was able to respond well. The hospital also gave him fluids, and some Tylenol then sent him home Saturday evening. The following day Ben was feeling better and was able to get out of bed and eat dinner. According to Brandy, he was up and moving around the entire day Sunday, but that night, Ben’s symptoms returned.

From Bad To Worse

Brandy said that on Sunday night, it was particularly difficult for him to breathe. Since Ben was sleeping in the bedroom while his wife slept on the couch, they only communicated through text. Brandy was able to check on her husband once late at night and again at two in the morning, and in both instances, she said everything seemed okay. She went back to sleep, and when she woke around 6 a.m., she found Ben lifeless in bed.

For Brandy, it was a mystery as to how COVID-19 can claim the life of a healthy young individual with no underlying health conditions. The story of Ben Luderer is only one of many that have puzzled health officials worldwide. Why is it that some young people get sick from COVID-19 and abruptly die?

A Disease That Knows No Bounds

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 is a disease that knows no bounds. It can infect older persons as well as young and healthy individuals. The health body said that no one is immune to the infection, and even if healthy and young, one may become so sick that he will require hospitalization.

The CDC said that for 2,449 patients with known age, 18% were found to be between 45 and 54, while 29% were between 20 and 44 years of age. Approximately 18% of those hospitalized are within the 45 to 54 years old bracket, while 20% were between 20 and 44 years old.

An Unusual Disease

While health experts say that younger people are less likely to die from COVID-19, there is now a strange pattern that is emerging. In an interview conducted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta with Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, the latter gave his opinion on the mystery.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he is very interested in what he calls the pathogenesis. Dr. Fauci said, “You know, you get so many people who do well. Then some people who just, bingo, they're on a respirator, they're on ECMO (a cardio-pulmonary machine) and they're dead.”

He also expressed his opinion that there is something that the scientific community is missing from a pathogenesis perspective. Dr. Fauci said, “And I don't think it's only if you're elderly or if you have underlying conditions. There's something else going on there that hopefully, we'll ultimately figure out.”