Georgia family mourns ‘most loving, joyful’ 5-year-old boy who died from Covid-19

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Wyatt Gibson suffered a stroke and died July 16 at a hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was intubated because he had difficulty breathing and his oxygen levels were low, his godmother said. Amanda Summey at CNN.

He was a healthy child and his parents believed he had just had mild food poisoning or a stomach problem when he first became ill, according to a statement written by the family.

The family said they noticed Wyatt’s tongue was white on July 12 and rushed him to the local emergency room where he was diagnosed with strep, staph and Covid-19.

“There are no words,” Wyatt’s mother Alexis Gibson wrote on Facebook. “Wyatt was nothing but pure love and the perfect overload of happiness. We see you everywhere we look at Bitty Wy and I still feel you holding your hand.”

The post included a video of Wyatt spinning outside in a chunky pair of cowboy boots, strumming his guitar and singing a made-up song about things he loved.

“I lost my best friend,” Wes Gibson, Wyatt’s dad, wrote on Facebook.

“We loved having fun and going on adventures together. He loved his mom and sister so much, and he was always looking for ways to help,” he wrote, adding that Wyatt liked to wave at people in the areas. groceries because he knew it would make their day.

Wyatt’s father and 8-month-old sister, Alyssa, also tested positive for Covid-19, as well as his maternal grandmother, who was at home, according to Summey.

Summey said she took care of Alyssa on Friday and is now in quarantine. She has tested negative for Covid-19 and has no symptoms.

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Wyatt was too young to get the shot, which is only approved for children over 12.

Summey said she did not know if other members of the Gibson family have been vaccinated.

Only about 38% of Georgia residents are fully immunized, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Georgia has reported 1,153,064 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 21,593 deaths – including 120 in Gordon County, where the Gibson family live.
Childhood deaths and hospitalizations remain rare – Georgia’s Department of Public Health reports 11 deaths of children under 18.
The number of pediatric cases of Covid-19 is rising, raising concern among health officials as children across the United States prepare to return to school in the coming weeks.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics said 23,500 child cases were reported between July 8 and July 15, representing 15.9 percent of the reported cases for the week.

Wyatt’s family is in quarantine as they struggle to make sense of their loss, Summey said.

“I wasn’t supposed to be able to have kids, so Wyatt was my boy before I could have a boy,” Summey said. “That’s why I’m the godmother.”

She described Wyatt as her 3-year-old son’s best friend, and “the most loving, cheerful kid,” who thought everything was fun.

He would even respond with a “Yay!” excited! when it was time to go shopping, Summey said.

“He was so helpful and just the best big brother,” she said. “He wanted to do whatever he could to help.

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