Georgia’s youngest COVID-19 victim, a 7-year-old boy contracted the virus after attending a church event where he came in contact with two other people who tested positive for the virus, according to Chatham County Coroner, Dr. Bill Wessinger.
Authorities haven’t released the name of the boy but according to the Georgia Department of Public Health, he’s African American from coastal Chatham County with no history of an underlying medical condition.
The County’s Coroner Dr. Bill Wessinger told News 3 the boy had a seizure in the shower and was rushed to the emergency room. He later died at the hospital. Dr. Wessinger said the boy contracted the virus after attending a Chatham County church event. Two elderly individuals who he came in contact with have also died after testing positive for the virus.
Chatham County so far has report 5,665 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 75 deaths.
“Every COVID-19 death we report is tragic, but to lose someone so young is especially heart-breaking,” Dr. Lawton Davis, the health director for the Coastal Health District said in a statement. “We know that older individuals and those with underlying conditions are at higher risk of complications, but this is a disease everyone should take seriously. Please watch out for each other, wear a mask in public, wash your hands often, and stay home if you’re sick. A community-wide crisis demands a community-wide response, and we all must do our part to keep each other safe.”
Sadly, this is not the first minor to die from the coronavirus in the country. Seven so far have died in Florida including a 9-year-old girl with no underlying medical conditions last month.
