CA Confirms State's First Teenage Death From COVID-19

OS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 29: In this handout released by the U.S. Navy, Sailors transport the first patient aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) into the casualty receiving area March 29.
Photo credit Photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images

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State health officials have confirmed the first death of a teenager due to COVID-19 in California.

The patient is from the Central Valley and did have underlying health conditions, but officials are not releasing more information about their history due to confidentiality.

Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the Central Valley teenager who passed away after contracting COVID-19. This is a tragic and powerful reminder of how serious COVID-19 can be. Their death is the first of a teenager in California.

— CA Public Health (@CAPublicHealth) July 31, 2020

Older people and those with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of developing a serious illness from the virus and children have been shown to be more resilient than adults to contracting the virus. 

But young people are far from immune. There have been several other confirmed reports of teenagers dying from COVID-19, including 17-year-old honors student Jameela Dirrean-Emoni Barber, who died in Texas and did not have any underlying health conditions.

A recent study from University of California, San Francisco found that one in three young adults could face serious cases of COVID-19.

State health officials have also expressed concern about a rare inflammatory illness associated with COVID-19 that presents in children, MIS-C, that can be life-threatening.

"Parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C including fever that does not go away, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling tired," said the CADPH in a statement.

As of July 31, the seven day average number of new cases is 8,322 per day, down from 9,881 new cases the week before.