6-Year-Old Girl Dies Of COVID-19, Officials Say She's Youngest Casualty In Florida

Florida just saw the youngest victim of coronavirus in the state, a 6-year-old girl from Hillsborough County.

Data from the Florida Department of Health revealed that the girl's death was included in the 119 casualties that the state reported Friday, CNN reported. It was also not ascertained if her death was a result of contracting the virus while traveling or if it was because of coming in close contact with a known COVID-19 positive individual.

In July, a young girl from Putnam County also died from COVID-19. She was 9-year-old Kimora "Kimmie" Lynum, who had no known history of underlying health problems. Lynum was the youngest casualty before the 6-year-old's death.

Eight minors in Florida have already died from the virus. Since March, the state saw 47,489 Florida residents who are under 18 years old who tested positive for coronavirus. CBS News reported that out of this number, almost 600 were admitted to the hospital.

In the last two weeks, the state had more than 7,000 COVID-19 positive cases in young children. In addition to the Hillsborough and Putnam counties, other areas where deaths of minors were recorded were Broward County, Dade County, Lee County, Manatee County and Pasco County. There was an 11-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, and two 17-year-old boys.

The number of coronavirus cases in children increased steadily between March and July, CDC revealed in new guidance released on Aug. 14. It underscored how strict stay-at-home orders may have contributed to the lower virus transmission among kids in spring and summer. However, the agency was also expecting certain changes in numbers due to the resumption of in-person classes.

A recent study on asymptomatic kids showed that coronavirus-positive children may not show symptoms but they carry high viral loads. This was why they were dubbed as the "silent spreaders." Several schools such as the case of the UNC-Chapel Hill have cancelled in-person classes due to students testing positive, despite not showing symptoms at all.

In the case of Florida, with the addition of 4,730 positive cases last Friday, its total COVID-19 cases reached 593,286. The state has the second-highest number of cases in the U.S. The first one being California.