New Delhi: In the first reported COVID-19-related death in Galveston County, Texas, a four-year-old child succumbed to the virus since the outbreak last year, when family members were infected, including the mother, who was unrelated.
According to the Independent report, Kaley Cooke died in her sleep on September 7, soon after she was diagnosed with symptoms of the coronavirus. The child was not vaccinated like most children under the age of 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccination.
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The child’s mother, Karra Harwood, also did not take any vaccinations and told herself against vaccination. “I was one of those people who were antagonistic, I was against it. Now, I wish I never were,” she was quoted by The Daily News.
What caused the death?
The family of a child with four siblings was living in Backcliffe, who had gone into quarantine after being infected. “I got COVID-19 and found out on Monday,” the mother said.
At 2 in the afternoon, Kali’s temperature increased and medicine was given to control the fever.
However, Kali had already passed into sleep around 7 a.m., and without any immune disorders or other health conditions, the mother said. “I didn’t kill my daughter. There are people who are getting vaccinated who are still getting Covid and they can still spread Covid,” the mother was quoted by news channel KPRC-TV in the report.
After conducting the test, the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the child’s cause of death as COVID-19. Health officials did not believe the girl was infected at her school, where she was attending pre-kindergarten, because contact tracing showed no student or adult in contact with the child was positive, according to the Independent.
According to the report, Harwood’s five-month-old baby has also been infected with the virus. “I take him to the hospital every night because I feel like he’s not getting better, and I’m scared,” she said.
The latest incident comes amid a growing number of cases linked to the delta variant being seen in children in the US.
According to the report, the Galveston County Health District reported nearly 1,382 cases of the new virus in children under the age of 12. As of last week, there were 24 COVID-19 related deaths among children under the age of 10 in Texas.
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