A central Ohio college student is urging young people to take COVID-19 seriously as the number of young adults getting the virus is on the rise.
Will Stack, 19, said it all started the second week of March. Stack said his father took him on a trip to Paris. Their trip came to an end a day early due to concerns over coronavirus.
When they arrived back in the United States, Stack said they both got a prescription for COVID-19 tests.
"We weren't really expecting too much of it," he said.
A few days later, Stack got the news he had COVID-19.
"The test came back and it was positive, " Stack said. "I didn't know what to think because it was so random and out-of-the-blue. No way in a million years would I thought I would have it."
Stack said he lost his sense of taste and smell.
"But other than that, I really felt fine," he said. "I wasn't terrified. I was honestly more scared I was going to give it to my family or something like that."
Fortunately, his family did not get sick. After isolating for four weeks, Stack was tested again and it came back negative. He then began donating convalescent plasma.
"You get texts every time it goes to people saying where it went and everything," he said. "It feels good helping others."
As of last week, Gov. Mike DeWine announced young people account for 60% of the most recent COVID-19 cases. 10TV's Angela Reighard asked Stack what he would say to others his age.
"I'm someone your age. I'm someone that's had it. I would wear the mask. I would stay six feet away. I would do everything I could," Stack said. "Honestly, some people who do go out, it seems like a selfish thing in a way. Yes, they might not be at-risk and they might not get it - or if they do, they might be fine. The person right next to you could have some condition where they could get it and they could die."
___
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
10TV is committed to bringing you a FACTS NOT FEAR approach to our coronavirus reporting. You can count on 10TV to give you the latest developments and the impacts on you and your family. For complete coverage, visit: 10TV.com/coronavirus.
For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.