7-Year-Old Boy Becomes Youngest To Die Of COVID-19 In Georgia

A 7-year-old boy from Chatham County has died of the novel coronavirus, becoming the youngest person in Georgia to die from COVID-19, according to data released by the state Department of Public Health on Thursday.

News of the boy's death came as Georgia surpassed the grim milestone of more than 4,000 deaths from the pandemic. 

Nancy Nydam, a spokeswoman for the health department, confirmed the death. The only detail the health department released was that the boy was a 7-year-old African American from Chatham County, located in southeast Georgia and home to the port city of Savannah. 

The news of the child's death is certain to add to the conversation around schools reopening. Many schools returned to in-person classes this week and have already reported coronavirus cases, forcing quarantines of dozens of students.

It should be noted Chatham County has not begun school yet and is slated to return to virtual learning on Aug. 19. 

The only other minor to have died from COVID-19 was a 17-year-old African American male from Fulton County, according to the health department. 

Georgia has reported a total of 204,895 cases of coronavirus, including 4,026 deaths. The total number of positive cases is the fifth-highest in the nation, behind only California, Florida, Texas and New York.