The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly all over the world, but there is this belief especially amongst the young ones that younger people aren’t quite as affected by the virus.
It’s usually those with underlying conditions or the elderly that are hit badly by the virus.
I mean, numbers don’t lie:
But this incident proves that that isn’t always true, and the table now needs to be updated.
1-Year-Old Infant Dies from Covid-19; Authorities Investigating This Rare Occurrence
A US infant has passed away due to the coronavirus, according to officials in the state of Illinois.
This was considered to be an “extremely rare case of juvenile death” from the COVID-19 virus.
Governor JB Pritzker said at a news conference that “an infant” was one of the fatalities due to the virus.
“There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant,” the department’s director Ngozi Ezike said in a statement.
“A full investigation is underway to determine the cause of death.”
He expressed his shock and dismay regarding the unfortunate piece of news.
“I know how difficult this news can be, especially about this very young child,” he said.
“It’s especially sorrowful for the family of this very small child, for the years stolen from this infant. We should grieve.”
Other Young Deaths
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only young death linked to the deadly coronavirus.
Just a week ago, a top French health official Jerome Salomon said a 16-year-old girl became a victim of the virus in the Ile-de-France region of Paris and its surroundings.
He also acknowledged that severe forms of the coronavirus in young people aren’t common.
“Severe forms (of coronavirus) with the young are very rare,” Salomon pointed out.
In the US state of California last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced unfortunate news that a teenager had tested positive for COVID-19 and had succumbed to the virus.
However, they added that the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation.
Virus “Disproportionately Affects Older Patients”
In fact, multiple studies have uncovered that the virus disproportionately affects older patients and those with underlying conditions.
At the time of writing, the United States has the largest number of coronavirus cases in the world, which stands at over 120,000.
That said, its death toll (2,000) is lower than that of other countries such as Italy, Spain and China.
The Chicago infant was among the 13 new deaths in Illinois.
The Situation In Singapore
The situation isn’t so rosy on our sunny island either.
In Singapore, we have a total of 70 new cases as of 28 March. Out of which 41 are imported cases from Europe, North America, ASEAN and other parts of Asia.
As for the remaining 29 local cases, 15 of them are linked to previously confirmed cases or clusters. There are now 2 more linked cases to the SingPost Cluster, bringing the cluster to a total of 5 cases.
The sources of infection for the other 14 local patients are still unknown.
In total, there are 802 confirmed cases in Singapore. 198 of them have recovered and are discharged, while 19 are now in ICU. 2 have passed away.
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In the meantime, stay safe everyone and do remember to practice good personal hygiene and safe distancing.
And if anything, this latest piece of news teaches us something: don’t be complacent.