Teen describes her experience with COVID-19, issues warning to other young people

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County is still reporting a surge in coronavirus cases, with 187 more reported Thursday on top of a 400-case increase Wednesday.

In Fulton County, the new case number rose by 111. In DeKalb County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped by 100 and Cobb County added 78 more cases.

We are now seeing a trend in younger people contracting the virus.

Channel 2′s Wendy Corona talked to an 18-year-old from Forsyth County who beat the virus. Her father got it too. He went to the hospital May 20, was placed on a ventilator and was just released from the intensive care unit yesterday.

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Leslie Gomez found out she had the virus the same day her father was hospitalized.

“It was May 20 when I got the call from my family pediatrics and they told me I had tested positive for COVID-19,” Gomez said.

Her mother tested positive the same day.

"With me and my mom, we only had a headache," Gomez said. "We lost our taste and smell."

Doctors said their cases were mild and recommended two weeks of quarantine. Her dad's illness was a different story.

Video shows him leaving the ICU Thursday after a month in the hospital.

The Georgia State Department of Public Health shows that the number of hospitalizations has surged for people in the 18- to 39-year-old range. That same age range is also seeing the biggest increase in confirmed cases.

Gomez said the statistics among young adults scares her.

“Some might be taking the precautions they need, but some others may believe that they will never get it but that’s not true,” Gomez said. “I want other teenagers to know that it is possible for them to get the virus even though they think they are in perfect health.”

While Gomez’ father was on a ventilator, the state’s current ventilator capacity shows about 30% are in use. The state still has 1,952 available out of more than 2,800 in Georgia.

Gov. Brian Kemp says he will not make masks mandatory in Georgia Kemp did wear a mask as he toured the Gwinnett Public Health Department's testing site, but he said he would not join other states in making it mandatory for people to wear masks in public.

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