‘My daughter was perfectly healthy’: 5-year-old Texas girl tragically dies of COVID-19
AMARILLO, Texas - A 5-year-old Texas girl died suddenly after contracting COVID-19.
Lastassija White and Quincy Drone, the girl’s parents, told Myhighplains.com that even though their daughter Tagan always wore a mask and was a “perfectly healthy” girl, she passed away within 15 hours of her diagnosis.
"This doctor told us that our child would be fine, and our child didn't even make it 24 hours. She died within the next 15 hours," Drone, the girl's father, told Myhighplains.com.
According to the family, Tagan was not feeling well for some time, which prompted her parents to bring her to the doctor. And despite her positive COVID-19 diagnosis, Tagan’s mother said the doctor reassured her that since her daughter was so young, she should be fine.
"My daughter was perfectly healthy. Perfectly healthy," White told Myhighplains.com. "There's no way that should have happened."
“I mean it was just mistakes made... too many mistakes made that cost a 5-year-old her life,” Drone added.
Tagan’s parents hope that through their experience, parents will be more conscientious when it comes to children and COVID-19.
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Over 1 million children in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Children were 0.00% to 0.21% of all COVID-19 deaths, and 16 states reported zero child deaths, according to a report by the AAP.
In early September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported cases saw a slight uptick as children started to go back to school.
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While the major consensus among doctors and experts is that children are not as negatively impacted by COVID-19 as those who are older or may have preexisting conditions, parents should still practice caution by instilling regular handwashing habits and social distancing.
Children can still spread the novel coronavirus even if they are not exhibiting any symptoms, according to health officials.
The U.S. hit yet another grim milestone Wednesday as the coronavirus has killed more than 250,000 and infected more than 11 million Americans, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Worldwide, more than 54 million coronavirus cases have been reported with more than 1.3 million deaths. The U.S. has about 4% of the world’s population, but about a fifth of all reported cases.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.