13-year-old found struggling to breathe in bed dies of COVID, Georgia coroner says
A 13-year-old boy has died after a weeklong battle with COVID-19, a Georgia coroner says.
The child’s parents had been taking care of him at home after he was diagnosed with the virus last week, Floyd County Coroner Gene Proctor told McClatchy News. His father went into his room to check on him early Tuesday and found him “blue and not breathing,” Proctor said.
Paramedics attempted CPR before taking the boy to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:55 a.m. Proctor said he determined the child had died from respiratory failure caused by the coronavirus.
The Floyd County School District confirmed he was a student at Coosa High School in Rome, about 70 miles northwest of Atlanta.
“The loss of a child, at any time, under any circumstances, is a tragedy,” a spokesperson for Floyd County Schools told the Rome News-Tribune in a statement. “We are heartbroken that COVID-19 has taken the life of a child. We extend our deepest sympathy to this child’s family and all others who have lost a loved one to this virus.”
The child, who hasn’t been publicly named, appeared to be a “healthy young man” with no underlying medical conditions, according to Proctor. It’s unknown if he was vaccinated.
His death marks the 12th pediatric death linked to COVID-19 in Georgia amid a surge in new cases, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. On Tuesday, the Peach State reported more than 6,800 new coronavirus cases and 86 COVID-related deaths.
Roughly 43% of eligible Georgia residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus, and 51% are partially vaccinated. Data show that number is slightly lower in Floyd County, where 30% to 39% of residents are fully vaccinated.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 2:42 PM with the headline "13-year-old found struggling to breathe in bed dies of COVID, Georgia coroner says."