RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced on Friday that an adolescent resident in the Southside Health District who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.
This is the first reported COVID-19 death of a child in the Commonwealth. Due to the child’s age, no further information is available at this time.
The fatality was reflected on the Saturday, Sept. 19 VDH update.
The Southside Health District serves the counties of Brunswick, Halifax, and Mecklenburg.
We were extremely saddened to learn of the loss of the state’s first adolescent with COVID-19. On behalf of all of us at VDH, I extend sincere condolences to the teenager’s family and loved ones.
State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, M.D., M.A.
No age group is immune from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this unfortunate event, along with the increasing numbers of coronavirus cases we are seeing in some areas of the Commonwealth, is a reminder that we all need to do our part to help slow the spread of virus in the community.
To read the full release, click here. For more information on COVID-19 in Virginia, click here.