A 7-year-old boy has died from COVID-19 in Georgia.
Per the Hill, the child—who lived in Chatham County—is the youngest to have died from the virus in the state of Georgia thus far. According to regional reports, including this one from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, not much information about the child has been made publicly available. He's been confirmed, however, to have had no underlying conditions.
In the same report, Dr. Harry J. Heiman of Georgia State University's School of Public Health made clear that any narrative being pushed that children are somehow not affected by the virus is false. While COVID-19 deaths among children appear to be a rare occurrence, and infections have shown a pattern of being typically less severe, Dr. Heiman cautioned that the pandemic remains a serious concern for us all.
"This is a tragic reminder that this is a very serious disease and serious for anyone who contracts it at any age," Dr. Heiman said.
As mentioned in previous reports, COVID-19 has been shown to have a disproportionate impact on communities of color across the U.S. The 7-year-old in Chatham County, per AJC, was Black. In the state of Georgia at large, Black citizens account for an estimated one-third of the population. However, per the state's Department of Health, Black residents also make up approximately half of the confirmed deaths in the state so far.
Notably, Georgia has been a frequent subject of virus-related headlines in recent days, with particular focus placed on the reported suspension of concerned students who photographically documented the troubling lack of social distancing taking place as schools open back up.
