NEW YORK — A 33-year-old Bethlehem graduate and Albany native, Kyra M. Swartz, died in her apartment in New York City last week from COVID-19.

Swartz, who died April 4, is one of the more than 6,300 New York City residents who have died during the coronavirus pandemic. The overall death toll in the state stood at 9,385 Sunday.

Her young age is a reminder of the voraciousness of the virus. Less than three percent of victims in the state have been under the age of 40, according to data posted by the state Health Department.

Most victims have been over age 70, and suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems or other pre-existing conditions. It's unclear if Swartz herself battled underlying health conditions.

Swartz, who graduated from Bethlehem High School in 2005, studied at Boston University and has been working as a digital and marketing analyst for the past 10 years. She and her family are members of Congregation Beth Emeth in Albany.

"For so many in our community, it’s all of a sudden hit home because this is not just a statistic," said Rabbi Scott Shpeen. "It’s someone here who was living in New York, grew up in our community, their family has been involved in our community for generations."

Shpeen said Swartz had been sick at home for about 10 days, unable to travel to see her parents or vice versa, before she was found in her apartment. The severity of Swartz’s COVID-19 symptoms are unclear. But in general, patients with mild symptoms are encouraged to ride out the illness at home - away from hospitals that are currently overrun with more critically-ill, older patients.

The sudden death hit friends and family.

"I can’t believe you’re gone. We lived together for two years. We shook Barack Obama’s hand when he came to speak at BU. We drank cheap wine in our tiny apartment near Kenmore Square and dreamed about the future," a friend wrote on Facebook. "But this was never a future we could have imagined. My heart breaks today for you and your family. RIP Kyra. I’ll never forget you."

An avid animal and cat lover, Swartz volunteered for a number of pet rescue organizations in New York City and for the past seven years as an adoption facilitator, her obituary said. One of those organizations, Anjellicle Cats Rescue of NYC, described Swartz as sweet, kind and lovely in a Facebook post.

"Kyra was a friendly and familiar face at our weekly adoption events and is prominently featured in our holiday video from a couple of years ago," they wrote. "We are heartbroken at this sudden and unexpected loss of our special friend."

People who wrote on her tribute wall also remembered Swartz as a warm, loving and intelligent woman.

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"She was so smart and funny, I felt like she pushed me to keep up on politics and current events so I could know what she was talking about!" wrote one woman who said she was close friends with Swartz throughout middle school, high school, summer camp and Hebrew school.

"Kyra and I drifted apart over the past few years, but it meant the world to me when she traveled to Albany to attend my father's funeral last year, and then came out to Long Island to attend shiva at my house," she continued. "That just truly proved Kyra's kindness and selflessness."

Swartz is survived by her parents, who still live in Bethlehem, her brother and his wife, and extended family members. When reached at home Sunday, her father, Andrew, said he could not talk about his daughter because it is too painful.

Shpeen said limitations on gatherings due to coronavirus have made the grieving process much more difficult for the Swartz family, especially considering the Jewish faith and traditions of mourning.

"When we have a loss, it's shared by the community, and many of the rituals of Judaism at the time of death is the support the community provides the family," Shpeen said, such as meals, funeral services and home visitation when sitting shiva.

Instead, Shpeen officiated a funeral only attended by her parents, brother and sister-in-law last Wednesday — hours before Passover started — where they were all wearing masks and gloves, and couldn't even hug each other for comfort. And while community members have been leaving meals at the Swartz family's doorstep, it's not the same as having company, he said.

"Here is a time of tremendous grief, and the family can't even draw comfort from the support of the community," Shpeen said.

Her family is accepting memorial contributions to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society of Albany, Anjellicle Cats Rescue of NYC, World Wildlife Fund and Congregation Beth Emeth.