More 20-year-olds are getting COVID-19 in Canada and this is what they say it feels like
People in their 20s continue to make up the highest proportion of COVID-19 cases — and while you might think that they don't experience scary symptoms, new testimonials are proving otherwise.
Multiple Canadians in their 20s have shared videos to the government website speaking about their experience battling the virus.
According to Jacob, a 21-year-old whose whole family contracted COVID-19, the whole experience is pretty terrifying.
"My body was a little bit weak," he says in the video. "I didn't really feel like eating. I didn't really feel like going out. I just felt like laying down and not moving."
Since Jacob was the first one to contract the virus in his family, he also says that he felt "super guilty" after his mother was ultimately hospitalized for four days.
"It was rough FaceTiming her, watching her in the hospital bed," he adds.
Janis, a 24-year-old, explains in another video that the virus is "really hard on the body."
She described her symptoms as a runny nose, a headache, dizziness, really bad lower back pain, insomnia and trouble breathing — which she still experiences even though she's not sick anymore.
Marylou, a 25-year-old who is immunosuppressed and therefore at a higher risk of severe outcomes, said that she slept for up to 20 hours each day after contracting the virus.
She describes what it was like in the hospital, lying on a bed as fellow COVID-19 patients struggled to breathe.
"I was clearly able to see the impacts of the virus because two of my roommates died from it," she says in the video. "They were next to me, having difficulty catching their breath, and then no longer able to breathe."
1/2 Hey #GenZ – Got big plans for the #fall? #Canada’s 20-29 year olds currently have the highest #COVID19 incidence rates compared to all other age groups. Don’t let it get in your way #Goals #University #Study #Fitnesshttps://t.co/CxmOQN0zpN
— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) August 23, 2020
And it doesn't matter if you hit the gym every day before contracting the virus, according to 18-year-old Lenni-Kim — physically fit people can still experience severe symptoms.
"I'm usually somebody who is physically fit," he says in French. "I know that there are a lot of people who say (COVID-19) is a little like the flu but, honestly, I've had the flu several times, but I've never felt anything like that."
Lenni-Kim explained that after the initial symptoms wore off, he still felt tired and fatigued.
"I'd make a spaghetti sauce, say, and then I felt like I'd done my complete workout for the day," he adds.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam continues to remind young Canadians to take precautions as things reopen.
"While most young adults experience milder illness due to COVID-19, they can get severely ill and can spread the virus to others," Tam said in an Aug. 24 update.
"We all have a role to play in keeping the spread of COVID-19 under manageable control by keeping our number of contacts low and taking precautions to reduce the risk of infection."
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