Child Under Age Of 5 Dies Of COVID-19; Marks 11th Pediatric Death In Mississippi

A child under the age of five has died from COVID-19, Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reported Tuesday. The latest death brought the pediatric death count in the state to 11 since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

This was also the second pediatric death from COVID-19 reported in a week’s time by the health department. The exact age and identity of the child has not been revealed. It was also not clear if the child was suffering from any underlying health conditions.

The ages of the children who died:

• one death in an infant – under one year of age
• three deaths in the 1-5 year age range
• one death in the 6-10 year age range
• six deaths in the 11-17 year age range

Vaccinations are available for all children five and older at any county health department. Boosters are recommended for anyone over 12 years of age.

“If your child is too young for vaccination, be sure that you and others in your household are vaccinated in order to protect younger children from possible COVID-19 exposure. Vaccination greatly reduces the risk of severe illness in children and adults,” MSDH wrote in a tweet.

The health department Tuesday reported 4,249 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, along with 109 deaths. The state currently reports 7 percent of those in the 5-11 age group and 37 percent of those in the 12-17 age group as fully vaccinated. The health department has also urged people to continue social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding large crowds.

While the new COVID-19 cases saw a drop across the state, Jackson County’s two hospitals were, as of Monday, completely out of available beds -- both regular and intensive care. According to the data from the Mississippi Department of Health, Ocean Springs Hospital saw 43 COVID-19 patients, up from 42 a week ago, with 12 of those in ICU, down from 14. The numbers were worse for Singing River Hospital, which saw COVID-19 patients' number rise over the last week from 35 to 51.

Other counties have not reported non-availability of hospital beds.

Since the pandemic began, more than 10.6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.S., 1 with children under 4 accounting for more than 1.6 million of those cases.