1-Year-Old Boy Becomes Youngest COVID-19 Death In Georgia

A 1-year-old boy is now Georgia’s youngest victim to die from COVID-19.

The Georgia Department of Public Health included the Cobb County boy in a table of deaths released Friday. The department says the boy had a chronic underlying condition that may have contributed to his death, but released no further information. The Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office says it can't release further information until the boy’s death certificate is completed.

He’s one of 5,471 people to die in Georgia so far from COVID-19. Deaths from Georgia’s summer spike remain elevated, having averaged 68 over the seven days ending Friday. The boy displaces a 7-year-old Chatham County boy as the state’s youngest victim of the respiratory illness.

A preliminary count by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 29 deaths involving coronavirus among children younger than age 5 nationwide. CDC data shows hospitalizations and death much less common for young children than adults. More than 170,00 people have died nationwide.