In Georgia, Atlanta, a 12-year-old girl named Emma is fighting for her life in the hospital after she was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Her cousin, Justin Anthony, claims that the girl was diagnosed with pneumonia on the 15th of March and was tested positive to the virus several days later.
She’s been on a ventilator since and is now stable. The girl had no previous health problems, hadn’t travelled recently, and it remains unknown how she caught the virus.
According to a statement by the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Scottish Rite Hospital, the girl is still in isolation and they’ve done all the necessary precautions.
Other details are unavailable because of privacy laws.
Young People Aren’t Immune to the Coronavirus
According to health experts, even though elderly and people with underlying health issues are at a high risk of dying from the coronavirus, children are also contracting and spreading it, even though this is a milder case.
Namely, out of 45,000 cases in China, there was only one death in a person younger than 20, claims statistics by the Chinese CDCP and there were no deaths in children younger than 10.
A new study which will be published in the Pediatrics Journal in June showed that from 731 confirmed and 1,412 suspected cases of the virus in Chinese children, only one child, a 14-year-old boy, died.
Around 6 percent of the cases of the virus in children were severe in comparison with the 18.5 percent of adults who experienced strong symptoms.
Everyone Should Realize the Importance of Social Distancing
Despite a better outcome for younger people, they’re not immune to the virus. What’s more, a report by the US CDCP notes that youth is making up a big part of hospitalizations.
Up to 20 percent of those with the coronavirus in hospitals in the US are between the ages of 20 and 44.
The girl’s cousin was given permission by the mother to share the girl’s story.
He also noted that he wants everyone to know how serious this virus is. Although you hear people saying it doesn’t influence younger individuals, this is a 12-year-old girl on a ventilator we’re talking about.
In Georgia, there are more than 500 confirmed cases and 20 deaths.
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