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A four-year-old girl died in her sleep at her home in Texas the day after she and her unvaccinated parents contracted COVID-19.
Kali Cook, of Bacliff, has become the youngest COVID death in Galveston County since the start of the pandemic, and now her parents are regretting their decision not to be vaccinated against the virus.
‘I was one of the people who was anti [vaxx]I was against it, ”said mother Karra Harwood. “Now, I wish I never was. ”
Harwood told the Galveston Daily News that her daughter had no diagnosed immune disorders or other health issues, but tended to get sicker than her siblings.
Kali Cook, 4, was the youngest person to die of COVID-19 in Galveston County, Texas
Kali’s mother, Karra Harwood, went into quarantine after contracting the virus on Monday. It quickly spread throughout the family, claiming Kali’s life the next day.
Most of the family were in quarantine after Harwood tested positive for the virus on Monday and had to be separated from the family.
Despite their efforts, the virus quickly spread, infecting her fiance and 5-month-old son, who had to be taken to hospital.
At around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Harwood noticed that Kali had a fever, so she gave her some medicine and helped her get back to sleep.
By 7 a.m., when Harwood and her fiancé left for work, Kali was dead.
But Kali’s condition continued to worsen and by 7 a.m. she was dead.
“She died in her sleep,” Harwood said.
Kali, who had just started kindergarten, is one of 466 Galveston residents who have lost their lives to COVID, and she is the first resident under the age of 20 to succumb to the virus.
Kali is among 466 Galveston residents who lost their lives to COVID
Galveston County Local Health Authority Philip Keizer called the death a tragedy underlying the need for more vaccinations and caution during this phase of the pandemic.
“It’s a terrible thing, but I think people need to know it,” Keizer said.
“It’s very important, if your kids are sick, not to say, ‘Oh, they’re going to be okay’. “If your children are sick, seek medical attention. “
Harwood hoped that sharing his daughter’s story would change people’s minds about COVID.
She encourages people to understand that although statistically rare, children can die from COVID and remain susceptible because vaccines are only available for ages 12 and older.
Harwood’s mother Terena Pike had previously displayed her skepticism about the vaccine, but now Harwood has said that she and her fiance, who she says has lung disease, are considering getting the vaccine.
The family also started a GoFundMe to help pay for Kali’s funeral expenses.
‘We’re all so broken and lost and just trying to figure out how we’re gonna get [through] this life without its light, ”Harwood wrote on the site.
Neither Karra nor her fiance has been vaccinated against COVID-19. Now she says the two are planning to get the vaccine after the virus kills her daughter and hospitalizes her son
Kali enjoying a meal with her grandmother, Terena Pike, who spoke out against the vaccine
Kali’s grandmother posted on social media questioning the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine
Kali joins more than 60,000 Texans who have died from COVID as the Delta variant continues to ravage Lone Star State.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported nearly 20,000 new cases of COVID and 400 new deaths on Friday.
The increase in the delta had also brought national daily COVID-19 cases to nearly 300,000 in August, and although cases began to decline in September, the United States saw another dramatic rise on Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 163,000 new cases and nearly 1,650 new deaths nationwide.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that 200,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 during the week of August 26, the second-highest weekly total recorded during the pandemic.
Children also accounted for more than 19,000 of the 812,000 hospitalizations recorded that week. Although the week-over-week totals increased, this was at a much lower rate than the 50 percent increase from the previous week.
In September, about 0.04 in 100,000 children aged 17 and under were hospitalized for COVID-19.
More than 75% of adults eligible for the vaccine in the United States have received at least one vaccine, according to the CDC.
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