This is America
One of the issues with getting everyone to #stayathome is that some of the younger folks don’t seem to think that they’re at risk. While it may be true that older people are more susceptible to Covid-19, there have been various reports of people aged 21 and under succumbing to the virus of late. One case in particular is rather heartbreaking.
A 17 year old boy, whose death was originally listed as coronavirus related, passed away on March 18th after being denied Urgent Care treatment at a California medical facility. What makes this case so unique is the fact that after he was listed as the first teenager in the US to die from the virus, the county state department backtracked and said that the CDC would reevaluate his case further.
The boy, who died six hours after he arrived at a public hospital in Los Angeles County, originally went to the urgent-care centre where he complained of respiratory symptoms. Once there though, he was refused treatment simply because he did not have insurance coverage.
The mayor of Lancaster, California, R Rex Parris, confirmed the teens death in a YouTube video in which he took the opportunity to warn people to take self isolation and social distancing seriously.
“The Friday before he died, he was healthy, he was socializing with his friends. By Wednesday, he was dead.”
“En route to AV Hospital, he went into cardiac arrest,” the mayor said. “They were able to revive him and keep him alive for about six hours. But by the time he got there, it was too late.”
Talking to CNN, Parris expressed his frustration at the urgent-care center, saying “When a kid comes in respiratory distress, stabilize him and call an ambulance; don’t ask for insurance,”.
Six days after the teens death, it had been “confirmed” to be Covid-19 related. Just hours after that however, the county department said the CDC would have to reevaluate the case because “the case is complex, and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality.”
It’s safe to say that while speed is of the essence in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, so is accuracy. Hopefully the county sorts this one out as soon as possible because local authorities are saying that the boy didn’t have preexisting conditions. If Covid-19 is indeed the cause of death here, it makes for alarming news.
