A young student died as a COVID-19 victim

An accounting student in her 30s has been remembered as “hardworking” and “an amazing friend” after her death from COVID-19. Adriana Midori Takara, 38, had no underlying health conditions but the Brazilian national’s condition deteriorated quickly after contracting the Delta strain. She died in the early hours of Sunday at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney’s inner west, about 10 days after contracting the virus.

Marlene Coimbra, who runs a migration consultancy and helped Ms Takara secure a student visa and a place at Sydney’s Kaplan Business School told the ABC’s AM program her former student, Ms Takara, her boyfriend and a flatmate tested positive to the virus.

Ms Coimbra said she was shocked the virus ravaged her body “so quickly”. “When they had the first test, Adriana was negative and her boyfriend was positive,” she said. Friends said the Brazilian citizen, who was studying accounting in Sydney, deteriorated quickly after contracting the virus. Takara died at Royal Prince Alfred hospital on Saturday, despite having no underlying conditions.

Her death is one of eight now linked to the New South Wales outbreak. Marlene Coimbra, an executive director at Superstudent Headquarters, helped Takara obtain her student visa. Ten days ago, she heard Takara had contracted Covid-19.

President of the Australian Medical Association in New South Wales Danielle McMullen said Ms Takara’s death was a grim reminder for young people. Only about six of the more than 900 deaths in Australia from COVID have been people under 49. But Dr McMullen said as more people aged over 60 were getting vaccinated, the outbreak underway in Sydney was affecting the younger population. It also prompted NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to warn young people could fall victim to the “cruel disease”.