Infant from Illinois Becomes Youngest Person in the U.S. to Die from Coronavirus
An infant in Illinois who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) has died, the state’s Department of Public Health said in a statement on Saturday.
“There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “A full investigation is underway to determine the cause of death.”
Along with the infant, who was from Cook County, there were 13 new coronavirus-related deaths in the state as of Saturday.
The seven other deaths in Cook County included two males in their 60s, two males in their 70s, one female in her 70s, one female in her 80s and one male in his 80s.
McHenry County, Kane County, Lake County and Will County were home to the remaining five new deaths in the state.
Overall, there are 3,491 cases, including 47 deaths, in 43 counties in Illinois as of Saturday, the IDPH said.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also announced the latest deaths in a press conference on Saturday.
“I know how difficult this news can be, especially about this very young child,” Pritzker, 55, said, according to The Chicago Tribune.
“Upon hearing it, I admit that I was immediately shaken,” he continued. “It’s appropriate for any of us to grieve today. It’s especially sorrowful for the family of this very small child for the years stolen from this infant. We should grieve for a sense of normalcy we left behind just a few short weeks ago.”
Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register/AP Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
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Pritzker also said the death toll should serve as a warning to those who do not obey his stay-at-home directive, which many governors across the country have enacted to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“The vast, vast majority of people in Illinois are doing precisely what we asked them to do,” Pritzker said. “But it’s the others, the people who aren’t obeying the stay-at-home rule, who are putting everyone in danger. It doesn’t take that many people, frankly, to break the rules and cause danger to others.”
As of March 29, there are at least 125,093 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. and at least 2,149 deaths, according to the New York Times database.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.