The child who died in Chicago was under a year old, officials said. (Representative)
Washington:
A U.S. child died of COVID-19 disease, Illinois officials said on Saturday. This is an extremely rare case of youthful death in the global pandemic.
At a press conference, Governor JB Pritzker said "an infant" has been one of the fatalities related to the new corona virus in the past 24 hours.
The State Department of Public Health said the child who died in Chicago was under the age of one and tested positive for COVID-19.
"There has never been a death related to COVID-19 in an infant," said department director, Ngozi Ezike, in a statement.
"A comprehensive investigation is underway to determine the cause of death."
Pritzker described himself as shaken by the news.
"I know how difficult this news can be, especially about this very young child," he said.
"It is particularly sad for the family of this very young child, for the years that this infant was stolen. We should mourn."
Last week, top French health official Jerome Salomon said a 16-year-old girl died in the Ile-de-France region in and around Paris.
"Severe forms (of the coronavirus) are very rare in young people," remarked Salomon.
In the state of California, the Los Angeles Department of Health announced last week that a teenager had tested positive for COVID-19 and had died.
But the agency added that the case is complex and there could be an alternative explanation.
Several studies have shown that the virus disproportionately affects older patients and patients with underlying diseases.
The United States has the highest number of new coronavirus cases worldwide, with more than 120,000, although the death toll at over 2,000 is still lower than that of other countries, including Italy, Spain and China.
More than 450 deaths in the United States occurred within 24 hours before Saturday afternoon.
The Chicago baby was among 13 new deaths in Illinois.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and published from a syndicated feed.)
