University of Dayton freshman, 18, dies of COVID-19 complications following a 'lengthy hospitalization' after he left campus for his Illinois home for remote learning

An 18-year-old college freshman died from coronavirus complications after returning home from campus for remote learning.

Michael Lang, 18, of Chicago suburb La Grange passed away on Thursday October 22 of coronavirus-related complications 'following a lengthy hospitalization'.

He was a freshman at University of Dayton and left the campus on September 13 'to return home for remote study'.

'The loss of Michael calls our campus community to honor his memory and support those who are affected by his passing. Please respect the family's request for privacy at this time,' University of Dayton leaders said in a statement.

University of Dayton freshman Michael Lang, 18, died on Thursday of coronavirus complications 'following a lengthy hospitalization'. He had left the Ohio campus to return to his La Grange, Illinois home on September 13 for remote learning

The University of Dayton , in Dayton, Ohio, has seen an outbreak of COVID-19, reeling from more than 1,400 COVID-19 cases since August 10. The school year started off with remote learning due to an outbreak of virus cases and the campus transitioned to a mix of in-person and remote learning on September 24

The University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio, has seen an outbreak of COVID-19, reeling from more than 1,400 COVID-19 cases since August 10. New daily cases peaked at 167 on August 28.

As staff and students moved back to campus for the start of classes on August 25, COVID-19 cases started to surge and officials announced the semester would begin with remote classes. 

The school transitioned to a mix of in-person and remote learning on September 24. 

School officials said the outbreak was tied to a few small students gatherings or people not following safety protocols.

The University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio, has seen an outbreak of COVID-19, reeling from more than 1,400 COVID-19 cases since August 10. New daily cases peaked at 167 on August 28

The school held a candlelight vigil for Lang Friday afternoon. 

'If you met him once, you would remember who he is,' Prof. Ying-Ju Chen said on Lang who was in her introduction to statistics class.

'Everyone who got infected has recovered, so I didn’t expect anyone to die. I’m horribly stunned,' Evan Anderson, a senior at the school, said to the Dayton Daily News.

According to a New York Times tracker of coronavirus cases on US college and university campuses there have been more than 214,000 infections at more than 1,600 colleges and at least 75 deaths since the pandemic began.

Illinois is suffering a staggering spike in COVID-19 cases.

On Saturday there were 6,161 new COVID-19 cases reported – a new state record, bringing the case total to 370,194. The state observed 63 deaths on Saturday bringing the death toll to 9,481.

Coronavirus infections are surging in nearly 80 percent of US states and territories and the nation set a single-day record for new COVID-19 cases, for a total of 8,575,069 as of Saturday evening

Weekly coronavirus cases are on the rise in 79 percent of US states and  territories, with the steepest increases in the Mountain West, including North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Wisconsin (dark blue), the latest CDC data reveal 

Coronavirus infections are surging in nearly 80 percent of US states and territories and the nation set a single-day record for new COVID-19 cases, for a total of 8,575,069 as of Saturday evening.

A total of 16 states hit one-day records for new infections on Friday. 

The US is now reporting an average of more than 60,000 new cases a day, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Health experts have not pinpointed the reason for the rise but have cited such factors as colder temperatures driving people inside, fatigue with COVID-19 precautions and students returning to schools and colleges. 

Health Secretary Alex Azar attributed the increase in cases nationwide to the behavior of individuals, saying household gatherings have become a 'major vector of disease spread.'