Child 'Too Young To Be Vaccinated' Dies Of COVID-19 In New Hampshire

A person from New Hampshire under the age of 18 has died from complications related to COVID-19, the first such case in the state, health officials said.

The unnamed minor died in another state in September and was only identified after COVID-19 was listed as the cause of death on a recently finalized death certificate, New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said in a statement released Monday.

The deceased "was too young to have been vaccinated against COVID-19," said the department.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has authorized the use of COVID-19 vaccines for all age brackets except for children under the age of five years old.

No other details regarding the deceased were disclosed.

"We are all saddened by this loss and give our condolences to the family. It continues to be important for us all to take steps to protect those who are not yet able to be vaccinated, and those who are vulnerable and at risk for severe COVID-19," state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said.

Approximately between 25% and 30% of all new infections in New Hampshire account for people below 18.

The department has urged people aged five or older to get vaccinated "to protect themselves and others from COVID-19."

Anyone aged 16 or older who has already completed a primary vaccination series, meanwhile, is urged to get a booster dose "to have the highest level of protection."

The CDC maintained that COVID-19 vaccines are "safe and effective," but noted that "in rare cases, people have experienced serious health events after COVID-19 vaccination."

These adverse health events included anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction), thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (a rare combination of blood clots and low platelet counts), and even death, among others.

New Hampshire has reported a total of 186,678 COVID-19 cases and 1,843 deaths since the pandemic began, government data showed.

People aged 19 or below accounted for 23% of all the cases. The most recent state tally still indicated that no one from this age bracket has died of COVID-19.

The U.S., overall, has reported 51,100,782 COVID-19 cases and 807,952 deaths, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University.