INTERNATIONAL: Georgia confirms healthy 7-year-old is state’s youngest coronavirus-related death

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(foxnews.com) – Georgia health officials have confirmed that a 7-year-old boy with no underlying conditions has become the youngest person in the state to die from COVID-19.

The African-American boy was infected with the disease after attending a Savannah church where he was in contact with two senior members who were also stricken with the virus and died, the local NBC affiliate reported.

“This child’s death is absolutely tragic, and we are praying for their loved ones in this difficult time,” Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement obtained by WSAV-TV.

Authorities have not revealed his identity.

Students arrive at Dallas Elementary School in Dallas, Ga., for the first day of the 2020-21 school year amid the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Students arrive at Dallas Elementary School in Dallas, Ga., for the first day of the 2020-21 school year amid the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The boy reportedly suffered a seizure while showering and was rushed to a Chatham County hospital, where he later died, according to WSAV.

An April report in The New York Times found that a small number of COVID-19 patients exhibit neurological problems such as strokes and seizures.

Kemp’s office said it’s still gathering information on the child’s death.

“Every COVID-19 death we report is tragic, but to lose someone so young is especially heart-breaking,” the health director of the local Georgia district Dr. Lawton Davis wrote in a statement on Thursday.

“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,” he said.

According to data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center, the Peach State now has more than 209,000 cases and over 4,117 deaths with an 11.92% positivity rate.

The boy’s death isn’t the first among children in the U.S.

At least seven minors have died from COVID-19 in Florida including a 9-year-old girl who had no underlying medical conditions.

This week, a Georgia second-grader tested positive after attending the first day of school in the Cherokee County School District, forcing the child’s teacher and classmates to be sent home to quarantine for two weeks.

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