39-year-old New Orleans woman, tested for coronavirus, dies before getting results.

[blitzen]

https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_bdc4e802-6b90-11ea-a747-832e94bc7f56.html

On March 10, Natasha Ott, 39, felt the beginnings of a cold coming on.
She had a slight fever. Crescent Care, her employer, had only a handful of tests for the new strain of coronavirus on hand; she initially passed on the chance to take one, after being told she was low-risk for the serious disease.
When her symptoms didn't shake, she did take the test on Monday. By Thursday, she felt "something in her lungs," she told longtime partner Josh Anderson. But she still felt well enough by then to join Anderson as the pair walked her dog.

On Friday, Anderson found Ott dead in her kitchen.

Her test results have still not come back.

Anderson, 40, said what happened to his girlfriend should be a wake-up call for anyone who still believes COVID-19 isn't as deadly as experts have claimed.

[Roland99]

1. :(

[smirkymonkey]

2. How sad.

This is really getting frightening. She was relatively young and apparently healthy, but taken out by this virus very quickly. RIP, Ms. Ott.

[blitzen]

4. She worked for a heath care provider of some sort. n/t

[gibraltar72]

3. She had never died before.

[uponit7771]

5. +1, Its not a real quote but its something Trump would say

[UpInArms]

6. The tragedies are only just beginning

I am so sorry ... for so much ... to so many

[warmfeet]

7. Yes.

[dhol82]

8. Damn, it seems like the path from contagion to death is freaky fast for some people.

[dhol82]

9. Just thinking, as in the 1918 flu, the young went down because of a cytokine storm

Wonder is there are different modalities for death to occur depending on age and immune status?

[denem]

11. Respiratory therapist, Louisiana

"This is knocking out what should be perfectly fit, healthy people. Patients will be on minimal support, on a little bit of oxygen, and then all of a sudden, they go into complete respiratory arrest, shut down and can’t breathe at all.

https://www.propublica.org/article/a-medical-worker-describes--terrifying-lung-failure-from-covid19-even-in-his-young-patients

[dhol82]

17. Certainly sounds similar.

[Chemisse]

18. That's what I am wondering now.

That's what has been said to be causing the deaths in the elderly, attributing their deaths to a weakness in the immune system that triggered a cytokine storm.

But how does one explain the mechanism causing the cytokine storm in a young, healthy person when it is happening in smallish numbers? (Unlike the 1918 deaths which triggered this reaction in healthy young people but not in the elderly). I look forward to reading about it.

[dhol82]

19. Looks like more young people are dying.

Might still be the cytokine problem.

[Chemisse]

21. Yeah, I agree.

But that would mean the trigger for the 'overreaction' is not a weak immune system.

[dhol82]

23. Which then makes one wonder about multiple modalities for mortality

Are they doing autopsies? That would help.
Somehow , don’t think that is where we are at. Surprised that other countries haven’t done it.

[Chemisse]

24. Hopefully we'll start to see info turn up in the literature. n/t

[hamsterjill]

25. Would you be kind enough to explain what that is, please.

What is a cytokine storm exactly and can it be treated in any way?

Thank you.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. It's an overreaction of the immune system.

The reason so many young people died of the flu in 1918 is that they actually had strong immune systems, which the virus turned against them.

[hamsterjill]

27. Would the treatment be to then suppress the immune system?

Obviously timing would be critical. Or is there absolutely no treatment for this!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. I don't know what they are doing; I got the impression that

they are treating the symptoms.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. 38% of hospitalized are 25-54. Nearly half of ICU are under 65

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-young-people.html

[Chemisse]

20. This is really worrisome.

Does this mean that they are severely ill but will be far more likely to survive? Or are they the leading edge of a wave of younger deaths that will change the overall death rate statistics?

[Ferrets are Cool]

12. Damm, this is scaring me. nt

[LAS14]

13. What is the point? The treatment would not depend on the diagnosis. Tests..

... benefit those around you. Not you.

[blitzen]

14. I was not making any point. Information, facts, truth...

But one point would be that if she had been treated she may not have died. And she was NOT treated--so I ask you: What treatment are you talking about?

[Chemisse]

22. I think they are telling people they are assuming they have it and to stay home.

Unless it becomes severe.

So the test results really wouldn't make a difference to her as an individual. They do make a big difference to us as citizens, health care workers, researchers, etc. We should absolutely be testing.

[Fla Dem]

16. 10 Days, 10 days. From 1st symptoms to death.

Took the test on Monday, no results back when she died on Friday. NOT ACCEPTABLE!