Child died from COVID-19 in Spokane County, SRHD reports

SPOKANE, Washington – The Spokane Regional Health District has reported the first death of a child from COVID-19 in the county.

Depending on the health district, the child was between 10 and 19 years old.

“Even though we think every death we report is tragic, we want to recognize that the loss of a child’s life is something that hits a community particularly hard,” said Dr Francisco Velazquez, head of health at interim. “The level of risk still remains relatively low in children and adolescents, but we recognize that these lives are not just numbers on a report, and statistics will never ease the pain of loss. We extend our sincere condolences to the child’s family and to all other members of our community who have lost a loved one during this terrible pandemic. We hope that we as a community take this time to remember those who lost their lives, reach out to those who mourn their loss, and come together to keep our community safe.

SRHD notes that children and adolescents have fewer and milder symptoms than adults when it comes to COVID-19 – but anyone can be infected and have complications.

The multi-week outbreak of COVID cases has not been attributed to a single event, health officials say, but to gatherings of friends and family, without masks.

RELATED: Spokane Co. Sees Record 513 COVID Cases in One Day, Over 1,000 This Weekend

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