Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, health experts have issued warnings for older people because the disease affects them disproportionately more than it does younger people. Now however harrowing news has come to light, according to the state department of health a 9-year-old from Putnam County has become the youngest patient to die of coronavirus complications in Florida.
What makes the case of the death of the 9-year-old even more peculiar is that the child did not catch the disease via travel nor did she catch it from someone who recently suffered from the illness, as records have shown.
Mary Garcia is a Health Officer from Putnam County; she confirmed the little girl’s death to the media and claimed she was unaware of any other underlying health conditions the girl might have been suffering from.
As per recent health records, the 9-year-old is not the only child to have passed away from coronavirus complications. 4 other minors in Florida have also died from coronavirus.
Among the other cases was the case of an 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade County and one 11-year-old girl from Broward County. Other cases included a 16-year-old girl from Lee County and also a 17-year-old boy from Pasco County.
Death from coronavirus complications in children is fairly alarming and new and this news is causing a stir among parents and for good reason because it was not previously known if children could suffer such complications from the virus also.
Recent reports however do confirm that children can suffer from a syndrome known as an inflammatory multisystem syndrome that might occur due to exposure to the virus.
Also Read: Italian Doctors Report Kawasaki Disease in Corona-virus Positive Children
It is known generally, that children only suffer milder symptoms of the disease, unlike adults. A study published in Pediatrics of COVID-19 in Chinese children confirms that 90% of children who contract the virus only show either mild symptoms or none at all. However, now in the light of recent deaths of minors due to coronavirus, parents, and guardians should watch out for symptoms.
In the study, researchers found that 10% of newly born infants who test positive for coronavirus do become critically ill.
Putnam County is situated between Gainesville, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Beach Daytona in north-eastern Florida. The country has experienced at least 11 coronavirus deaths.
According to data from The Johns Hopkins Hospital parents and caretakers should keep an eye out for warning signs such as:
- Struggled breathing or shortness of breath
- Not being able to keep down liquids
- Unable to wake up or being confused uncharacteristically
- Blue tint to lips
If a child shows any of the signs mentioned above they require immediate medical attention. Parents or caretakers should call urgent or immediate emergency medical care for the child.
Further information on the death of the 9-year-old is yet to be disclosed, for now however parents have much to worry about now that there is evidence that children can suffer dire consequences if they contract coronavirus.
Up till Friday, 23,170 minors had already tested positive for coronavirus across the entire state. The rate of children catching the novel coronavirus is 13.4%. The total number of coronavirus cases for the state is 379,619.
