Family grieves for 13-year-old Anna as COVID-19 deaths surge in US

She holds herself together well. She even smiles and jokes with me on video chat as she tries to find a quiet room for us to talk.

But the unimaginable grief of losing a child is written all over her face.

Amber Carter lost her 13-year-old daughter, Anna, her middle child, to COVID-19 during the northern summer surge of infections in Oklahoma.

“She was just amazing, there’s really no other word for her,” Ms Carter said, her face lighting up as she describes Anna.

“She wanted to be an actress or somebody who dances; there’s no doubt she would have made that happen.

“I can only think that she’s looking down from above, saying, ‘well, they all know my name now’.

“Unfortunately, it’s this way.”

Vulnerable to COVID-19