Covid-19 rapidly becoming America’s leading cause of death

For the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, health and government officials assured the public that young people were at little or no risk of falling seriously ill from COVID-19. But many young people who have contracted the virus tell a very different story, one that should serve as a warning to young adults in the Southern and Western states where infections are surging.

“For younger people who think they don’t need to worry and who haven’t followed guidelines, think again,” Jade Townsend, 22, told Yahoo News in a Facebook message. “It’s had a major impact on my life these past few months and continues to have an impact.”

A worker at a nursery in Oxford, England, Townsend came down with mild COVID-19 symptoms — a sore throat, tightness in the chest and a slight cough — in early March. Her cough grew steadily worse and she began suffering debilitating headaches, lethargy and muscle pain. Eventually she lost her sense of smell and taste, and felt so bad that she “planned my funeral song.”

“I was admitted to hospital where I was overnight with fluids and antibiotics being pumped into me. I was also severely dehydrated. I got discharged and all the symptoms persisted. I was prescribed many antibiotics by my doctor to try to clear a chest infection,” Townsend said. “I ended up getting mouth and throat ulcers and then severe abdominal pain.”