WELLINGTON COUNTY – A Wellington County child under the age of 10 has died after testing positive for COVID-19.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) spokesperson Danny Williamson confirmed the Jan. 3 death of the young girl in a Jan. 6 phone call.
The girl is the first child in the region to die while infected with COVID-19, but it’s unclear if the child died because of the virus.
Williamson stated no further information on the cause of death is available and that anyone who dies while infected with the virus is considered a COVID-19 fatality.
A spokesperson with the Office of the Chief Coroner confirmed the girl’s death is being investigated by the organization to determine the cause of death but stated the coroner’s findings will only be shared with family.
“Since the pandemic began, more than 100 people in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph have died from COVID-19, each one of them a profound and permanent loss to those who loved them and to the fabric of our community,” said WDGPH Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer in a statement.
“Our region has now experienced its first death of a child with the virus. No words are sufficient to comfort those grieving this terrible loss. In this tragic moment, I offer my deepest condolences on behalf of everyone at public health to the family.”
With this recent death, there have been 130 total deaths attributed to the virus in Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph as of Jan. 7.
As of Jan. 6, there have been 10,135 deaths attributed to the coronavirus across the province, of which eight have occurred in those under the age of 19.
