A second local pediatric death and reopening of public playgrounds in Hamilton County this week serve as reminders that while children are less susceptible to serious COVID-19 infection, they’re certainly not immune.
On Tuesday, the Hamilton County Health Department reported that a girl under age 10 with no underlying medical conditions had died due to the coronavirus – marking the first time that an otherwise healthy child in Hamilton County was known to have died in the global pandemic.
“The Health Department grieves with the family and the community for the loss of this child,” Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes said in a news release. “We stress once again how important it is to wear a mask and practice social distancing to keep this virus from spreading. These are simple yet necessary acts of kindness that could save a life.”
Since it’s a new disease, much is still not well understood about COVID-19 – especially how and why it presents differently in children than adults, as well as the role that youngsters play in transmission.
Children are less likely to become seriously ill or die from the coronavirus. In Tennessee, COVID-19 has killed three children age 10 and under and one child between age 11 and 20 – out of 567 total fatalities.