A 9-year-old girl with no known underlying health conditions is the youngest person to die from coronavirus complications in Florida, authorities said.
© Courtesy of the Lynum family
Kimora “Kimmie” Lynum
Kimora “Kimmie” Lynum died on July 18 in Putnam County, according to records from the Florida Department of Health. She confirmed her identity and said it is the state’s youngest coronavirus fatality.
She had no pre-existing health problems and her mother took her to the hospital due to a high fever, said family spokesman Dejeon Cain. The hospital sent her home and she collapsed shortly thereafter, Cain said.
“She was always happy and made everyone happy. It was phenomenal,” said Cain, who is also her cousin.
The family does not know how or where it was infected. She looked healthy and spent the summer at home, and did not attend school or camp, Cain said.
Kimmie’s mother had a Covid-19 test, but had not received her results until Saturday, Cain said.
State health department records show the boy had no close contact with anyone who has recently had Covid-19. Putnam County Health Officer Mary Garcia confirmed the death to CNN and said she was unaware of any underlying medical conditions.
Kimmie is the fifth child in Florida to die from Covid-19, according to the latest health records. The others were an 11-year-old boy in Miami-Dade County, an 11-year-old girl in Broward County, a 16-year-old girl in Lee County, and a 17-year-old boy in Pasco County.
Putnam County is located between Gainesville and St. Augustine in the northeast part of the state. Since April 1, the county has had 11 deaths.
Until last Friday, 23,170 minors tested positive for the new coronavirus. The positivity rate of the children evaluated is 13.4%. The state’s total number of confirmed cases now stands at 379,619.
Florida has the second highest number of coronavirus cases, passing New York, once the country’s epicenter at the start of the pandemic. California, the most populous state, overtook New York a few days ago. The states with the most reported cases now align more closely with the population range. Florida is the third most populous in the country, and New York is the fourth.
Florida has reported 414,511 cases since the start of the pandemic, up from New York’s 411,200, according to state health agencies. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 79% since July 4, according to data from the state health care administration.
At least 50 hospital intensive care units in Florida reached capacity on Saturday. Eight of the hospitals are in Miami-Dade and six in Broward, among the most affected counties in the state.
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