SOUTH HILL, Wash. — A male under the age of 20 is the youngest person to die from COVID-19 complications in Washington state, according to a release from Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Saturday.
Limited information was provided about the male, only that he was a South Hill resident with no reported underlying health conditions, health officials said. His exact age was not provided, only that he was under the age of 20.
Earlier this week KING 5 reported on the death of 19-year-old Eli Sevener who graduated from Puyallup High School. But the health department has not confirmed the name of the person who died.
"The sad news of this young man’s death reminds us COVID-19 can seriously affect anyone, even someone who is young and healthy," said Director of Health Anthony L-T Chen, MD, MPH. "The disease is everywhere. To drive down the spread and protect our loved ones, we all need to mask up, maintain physical distance, and stay close to home."
Pierce County has 5,534 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 126 deaths as of Saturday afternoon, according to the health department's website.
For the past two weeks, many of Pierce County's cases have been among young adults, health officials said.
"While people 20-39 years old make up 27% of our population, they account for more than 37% of our COVID-19 cases," said health officials.
Experts recommended staying close to home, wearing a mask when leaving the house, and limiting interactions to a small circle of friends and family to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
People experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested immediately. Learn more about testing on Pierce County's website.
