California Teens Death Attributed To COVID-19 Being Investigated
Sonora, CA – A California teenager whose death was attributed to coronavirus is under investigation.
As reported here on Tuesday, it was thought to be the first U.S. death of a person under 18 from the virus. Los Angeles County officials are now challenging that distinction saying they no longer are including a 17-year-old boy from Lancaster in the tally of coronavirus deaths until a precise cause of death is determined.
The county’s public health director has asked the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to look into the death. While the child tested positive for coronavirus, there were “extenuating circumstances that pointed to an alternative diagnosis as well,” according to the health director.
It had been reported to the county that the teen had been hospitalized with respiratory problems and died from septic shock related to the deadly virus. The town’s mayor also relayed that the boy’s father also has coronavirus and worked in a job where he had close contact with the public.
In a live address by Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, he criticized county officials for the backtrack. “We all have been reminded in this moment it’s not just speed, it’s accuracy that must be front and center, “ asserted Newsom.
A report last week by the CDC found no coronavirus deaths in the U.S. among people 19 and under, which accounted for less than three percent of all hospitalizations in that group.
