16-year-old dies of COVID-19 complications in Jacksonville

UPDATED STORY:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A family is dealing with the tragic loss of their 16-year-old who died from COVID-19.

A spokesperson for Wolfson Children’s Hospital said the teen died Thursday.

The hospital is not releasing details, citing patient privacy laws.

But a statement said in part: “The death of a child is always tragic, and our hearts are with the family as they grieve this loss.”

This heartbreaking news is a reminder that COVID-19 poses a risk to children.

“It was clear that the original version of the COVID-19 virus was affecting older people and certainly making them much sicker requiring hospitalization that is no longer true,” explained Dr. Sunil Joshi.

Dr. Joshi is the president of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation. He said the highly contagious delta variant is a game-changer.

“It seems like the risk is higher this year than it was last year again because the delta variant appears to be targeting younger people.”

Earlier this month, Florida saw an 87% increase in coronavirus cases in children under 12 years old.

There are currently 16 children being treated for COVID-19 at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Four are in the ICU.

“At their peak last year Wolfson’s hospital people will say they had four or five people in the hospital. To have 16 to 20 means it’s 4 to 5 times more children in the hospital this year than there were last year, that’s a big deal.”

According to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health, so far this year, there have been seven COVID-19 deaths among kids under 16 years old and 160 deaths for people ages 16 to 29.

“Wearing a mask is a simple way to try and prevent the spread of this virus. Please opt in to allowing your children to do that. If your kids are over the age of 12 please have your kids vaccinated,” Joshi said.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital has confirmed that a teenager has passed away due to COVID-19.

Wolfson Children’s Hospital released a statement to Action News Jax saying,

“We can confirm a patient at Wolfson Children’s Hospital passed away on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, due to COVID-19. The death of a child is always tragic, and our hearts are with the family as they grieve this loss. We are unable to comment further due to patient privacy laws.

We encourage everyone to continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including wearing a mask, washing hands, and getting vaccinated, if eligible.”

We wanted to know how many in this age group have died from COVID-19 in Florida. According to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health, seven COVID-19 deaths this year were among kids under 16 years old, and 160 deaths this year for people ages 16 to 29. Florida earlier this month saw an 87% increase in coronavirus cases in children under 12 years old.

Right now, there are 16 kids with COVID at Wolfson right now, with five admitted just yesterday. Four are currently in the ICU. We reached out to officials to learn more about the 16-year-old. We will update you as soon as we get an update.

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