‘A war against everyone.’ What to know about young people who have died from COVID-19

Young people are not immune to the effects of coronavirus, which has killed more than 40,000 people worldwide as of March 31, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The death rate for 20-44 year olds for coronavirus in the United States is 0.1 percent, but parents and loved ones of young adults who have died from the virus are trying to warn the public about how much harm it can cause.

Silvia Melendez, 24

Five people in the Melendez household contracted COVID-19, including the 24-year-old Silvia, who had diabetes and heart surgery two years earlier, her family told The Salt Lake Tribune.

Melendez was hospitalized after having breathing problems and her blood pressure continued to drop after receiving a breathing tube, the girlfriend of one of Melendez’s brothers told the Tribune.

“Her oxygen level started getting better, but the last day her heart started beating too fast,” Angelica Macias told the Tribune.

A GoFundMe for her funeral costs states Melendez “was one of the most loving, thoughtful, kind-hearted people.”

“I think everyone should be worried about it, because everybody has loved ones,” one of her brothers, Xander Melendez, told KUTV.

Ben Luderer, 30

A high school baseball coach in New Jersey, Luderer was “healthy, strong, athletic,” his former coach told NJ.com.

His high school coach, Greg Butler, told NorthJersey.com that Luderer had some coronavirus symptoms but was sent home from a hospital when he was told his case was minor.

“The message I want to get out there is that this is a war against everyone,” Butler said. “Young people need to understand and take all the appropriate steps.”

Another one of his coaches, Leon Matthews, said Luderer was on his way to being a great coach himself.

“There are a lot of guys who don’t pour their hearts into the kids. I watched him and he taught every kid the same from his best players to those who were on the bench,” Matthews told NJ.com

Adam Sullivan, 28

A United Kingdom man who was called “fit and healthy” by his aunt was hospitalized when he had trouble breathing, according to the Glasgow Times. He had a chest infection three weeks prior, the publication reported.

He was placed in an induced coma because of his coronavirus symptoms, the Camden New Journal reported.

His mother, Jackki Harkins, told the New Journal that younger people “have got to start taking this seriously.”

“I’ve lost something very precious to me that can never be replaced,” Sullivan said. “We are all just in shock because he was only a young man. He was healthy — you didn’t have to tell him to eat his greens, he was always like that.”

Thomas Davies, 27

The mother of Davies said her son self-isolated after he developed “a cough, body aches and cold sweats,” according to iTV.com. His partner, who had just given birth to their son, found him dead in their Wales home.

His older sister, Sian Shears, said her brother thought he had a normal cold.

“He was healthy, he never had any health issues,” Shears told WalesOnline. ”He never smoked in his life. He had a newborn baby 10 days ago and he has a little boy.”

His partner now must self-isolate with her newborn and 4-year-old son for the next two weeks, according to iTV.com.

“Nobody should have to feel the heartbreak I feel and my family is going through,” Shears added. “I can’t leave my house to see my family. I don’t even know if I can go to my own brother’s funeral because people aren’t listening.”

Freddie Brown III, 20

A former high school football player, Brown died Sunday, just three days after his father died from COVID-19, according to WJRT.

The 20-year-old looked to be doing better until he took a turn, his pastor told WJRT

“He was the kind of person when he walked in the room you noticed him because of his stature, but you also loved him because of his smile, because of his kindness,” Chris Martin told the TV station.

He suffered from asthma, according to WNEM. His former high school coach, Clint Alexander, said his death “happened so fast.”

“We were still grieving from the loss of his father and then suddenly you are terrified for Freddie,” Alexander told WNEM. “I really don’t think that anybody thought it was a possibility.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 5:17 PM with the headline "‘A war against everyone.’ What to know about young people who have died from COVID-19."