Child under 10 dies after contracting COVID-19: Waterloo Region MOH

By Lucas Casaletto

Waterloo’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, confirmed on Friday that a child under the age of 10 has passed away after contracting COVID-19.

Additional details have not been released due to privacy obligations out of respect for the child’s family.

Dr. Wang said the child had underlying health conditions and that there were no school-related or childcare-related exposures. The child was hospitalized after becoming sick, she said.

“This is a rare, tragic circumstance and a devastating reminder of the serious nature of this virus,” Wang said during a pandemic briefing.

Ontario’s Health Minister called it “a heartbreaking loss.”

“This is a devastating reminder of the consequences of #COVID19. My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this unimaginable time.”

Wang encouraged people to get immunized against COVID-19 to help protect the unvaccinated, including young children.

“I’m really asking our community to do what they can to protect one another,” she said. “The best way to do that is to get vaccinated if you’re eligible and to also continue to practice public health precautions even if you are vaccinated because that also helps stall the spread.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford offered his condolences to the family on Friday, calling the news “absolutely gut-wrenching.”

“My prayers are with the family at this excruciatingly difficult time. This virus knows no bounds,” Ford wrote on Twitter.

“It’s why we need every eligible Ontarian to get vaccinated – to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and those who can’t yet get vaccinated against COVID-19.”

It is the first COVID-related death in a child under 10 in Waterloo region.

There are currently no Health Canada-approved vaccinations available for children under the age of 12.

Both Pfizer Comirnaty and Moderna Spike Vax, two mRNA vaccines, were given full approval for individuals aged 12-and-up on Thursday.

The vast majority of COVID-19 deaths in Canada have occurred in older adults, but children and teenagers have also lost their lives to the virus during the pandemic.

Public Health Ontario listed five virus deaths among people aged 19 and younger as of Friday, although it was unclear if the child’s death in Waterloo Region was among those.

National data as of Friday listed 15 deaths among people between the ages of 0 and 19, representing about 0.1 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in Canada.


With files from The Canadian Press

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