A teen from Los Angeles passed away from coronavirus, marking the first time a person under the age of 18 has died due to the virus in the United States.
In the state of California, confirmed cases jumped at an alarming rate as cities enforce lockdowns, prepare hospital beds, manufacture medical supplies, and prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Four additional deaths due to coronavirus were reported by Los Angeles County, and one of those included the child from Lancaster.
The minor’s death is a ‘devastating reminder that COVID-19 infects people of all ages,’ said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the director of LA County Department of Public Health.
Health officials confirmed that the teenage boy, who had respiratory problems, passed away from ‘complications from coronavirus’ after suffering septic shock, and they said there may be an ‘alternate explanation’ for his death.
“Though early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19, the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality,” health officials clarified.
Officials in San Francisco, the first city in the United States to go on lockdown, warned ‘the worst is yet to come.’
Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco Director of Health, said during a news conference: “Every community where the virus has taken hold has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus patients who need to be hospitalized. We expect that to happen in San Francisco soon, in a week or two, or perhaps even less.”
Despite the crisis, many locals have continued to gather at parks and beaches across the state. Cases in Los Angeles County rise with alarming speed. As of this writing, there are more than 2,500 cases in LA and 51 deaths.
It is not only the elderly who are contracting the virus. In LA County, 80% of the cases are ages between 18 and 65, and 42% are 18 to 40 years old.
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