The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced recently that a child in the Rappahannock Area Health District has died from complications of COVID-19.
VDH will disclose no further information about the child to protect privacy and out of respect for the patient’s family. This is the second reported death of a child under 10 years old with COVID-19 in Virginia.
“We extend our condolences to the family of this child in this time of great loss,” said State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver. “Across the country, COVID-19 continues to cause illness and death. The more contagious Delta variant is now the most predominant strain across the country.
“We urge everyone age 12 and older who is eligible to get vaccinated to do so as soon as possible,” Oliver said. “We have made so much progress in these past months against this virus, but a tragic event like the death of this young child is a stark reminder that our work continues. Even as many of the restrictions of the past year on gathering and mask-wearing are no longer in place, we urge everyone to take precautions to protect themselves and those around them.”
This death is reflected on the VDH COVID-19 data dashboard for Thursday, July 8, 2021.