The state of Florida has recorded its youngest death connected to a coronavirus outbreak that has decimated global public health.
The Florida Department of Health reported that a six-year-old girl, who is unnamed, died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel virus, earlier this week. The girl lived in the Tampa Bay Area, according to a pediatric report from the state health department.
She is the eighth person under the age of 18 in Florida to succumb to the virus this year. There have been roughly 47,900 cases and almost 600 hospitalizations among the age group in the state.
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Prior to the passing of this six-year-old, the youngest reported coronavirus death in Florida was a nine-year-old girl from Putnam County in July. She had no underlying health conditions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed last week that the number and rate of positive tests in minors across the country had been “steadily increasing” between March and July, as reported by CBS News. The news comes as debate swirls about how schools should administer instruction, whether on school premises or online, as officials try to get a grip on the public health crisis.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a statewide order that allowed schools to reopen, according to the New York Times. There have been 13 counties that have reopened schools for in-person classes that past week.
Florida has become a hotbed for COVID-19 in recent months. Of the 5.6 million positive tests in the U.S., Florida accounted for nearly 597,600 cases, trailing only California for the most among states, according to Johns Hopkins University data as of Saturday afternoon.
The state has recorded more than 10,200 deaths to the virus.
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