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A 13-year-old boy in California died while isolating himself with Covid-19 symptoms after a test for the disease came back negative, his family said.
Claremont’s Maxx Cheng fell ill on July 4 and died Thursday after suffering from coronavirus symptoms, KCBS-TV reported.
The teenager’s sister Charlotte Cheng told the CBS affiliate that her brother had symptoms of Covid-19, including nausea, vomiting, and chest pain.
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“That list that appears, a little bit, in that initial search, had all those symptoms,” he said.
It is still unclear what caused his death, the station reported. His parents confirmed their son’s death to KABC-TV.
His mother, worried that he might have contracted the new respiratory illness, took him to the hospital on July 9 to be tested for the virus, but his family said the test was negative, the station reported.
“Her symptoms matched, but then the test came back negative,” said her sister. “So we were a little confused.”
The 13-year-old boy had to continue to isolate himself due to his continuing symptoms, and despite signs that his condition was improving during the week, he later died in his room.
“We went to see how it was, how we usually do,” Cheng said. “I wasn’t responding. We found him passed out in the room.
The family said they have no idea where the disease could have been hypothetically contracted, as they remained vigilant even before the teenager became ill.
The results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death are reportedly expected in the coming days, KCBS-TV said.
Friends of the family have created a GoFundMe page on their behalf to help raise money for funeral arrangements.
Nicole Weinstein, who is listed as one of the fundraisers, told KABC-TV: “The moment I heard, it was as if a great bright light had gone out. She had so much charisma, so much positive energy. He was class president last year. “
“It is very, very shocking, sad, paralyzing,” he said.
“I had this dream of wanting to go to the Olympics,” Cheng told KCBS-TV.
California has seen a record increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks amid reopening of states, forcing Governor Gavin Newsom to reimpose some radical restrictions on the state.
The state has recorded more than 392,000 cases of the virus and more than 7,700 deaths as of Monday.
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