TACOMA, wash. – Pierce County reported its first COVID-19-related death of a person under the age of 20 and the first victim of the virus in the state for this age group, according to a release from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
Health officials confirmed on Saturday that a South Hill man under the age of 20 had died from coronavirus complications. Officials said the man had no pre-existing and underlying health conditions before contracting the virus.
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“The sad news of the death of this young man reminds us that COVID-19 can seriously affect anyone, even one who is young and healthy,” said Health Director Anthony LT Chen, MD, MPH. “The disease is everywhere. To drive the spread down and protect our loved ones, we all need to mask, keep physical distance, and stay close to home. ”
Health officials from Tacoma-Pierce Co. said in recent weeks, they have seen most young adults reporting with the virus, especially those in the 20-39-year-old range. Officials said the age group makes up about 27 percent of the population and about 37 percent of COVID-19 cases in the province.
Pierce County has the third largest reported positive virus case in the state. As of August 7, Pierce County reported 5,522 confirmed positive virus cases, 625 hospitalizations, and 137 deaths. In the state of Washington, 61,587 confirmed cases have been reported, 5,890 hospitalizations, 1,672 deaths due to COVID-19.
Health officials encourage people to continue wearing a mask in public, physically distance themselves from others, and if possible to test for the virus if they are admitted to a “severely affected community,” as for American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, Latinx, Native communities in Hawaii, as Pacific Islander.
Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee strongly urges Washington school districts to consider full-time distance learning for the 2020-2021 school year and to cancel all extra-curricular activities as a safety precaution against the virus.
“This pandemic will continue to grow unless something changes,” Inslee said during a news conference on Wednesday, adding as each school district brings back all students “I believe we would see a dangerous increase in COVID activity.”
Twenty-five of the state’s 39 counties are considered high-risk, meaning there are more than 75 cases per 100,000 people, including all three counties in the Seattle metro area. Many schools in the Puget Sound region have already announced plans to start the year with an online-only model.
