Teen Dies After Initially Being Denied Coronavirus Test
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A 17-year-old boy who did not have pre-existing health conditions and was deemed healthy has reportedly died from Coronavirus after being treated at the hospital and released without COVID-19 testing. He initially went to the hospital for acute respiratory problems and was turned away.
Mayor R. Rex Parris of Lancaster expressed his anger about the incident,
“How do you take a kid in for having respiratory problems and you don’t test him?” he said. “I am so livid.”
The unidentified 17-year-old would be the first minor to die from Coronavirus. After he was released, the boy was treated at a second hospital, where he sadly died, according to the mayor. The positive test results did not come back until after his death. He might have survived if he was able to get testing earlier.
“I’m really upset right now. I thought this was a disease that affected people my age,” added Parris, who is 68. “Now I realize our kids are at risk — that’s something totally different.”
Following the tragedy, kids in Lancaster are enforced to stay at home. “We are enforcing the law in Lancaster,” he said. “I will not lose another child.”
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