A 17-year-old high school football player in New Orleans who had the coronavirus, has died.
Jaquan Anderson passed away on Sunday according to the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office. The exact cause of death is still under investigation.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards stressed that “everyone is at risk.” And that coronavirus could be serious, even lethal, to people of all age groups.
“Nobody should assume this disease will not severely impact them or have the potential to kill them,” Edwards said.
Anderson’s father, Kevin Moran, told the Advocate that heart failure may be to blame for his son’s death.
“It was heart failure,” Kevin Moran said, adding, “People don’t want to let you heal … I’m so upset.”
According to the Advocate, “Louisiana officials’ practice is to include anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 and died in their tally of deaths related to the coronavirus, which on Thursday stood at 83 statewide. It is possible that individuals on the list died as a result of another condition that they had in addition to COVID-19.”
While the vast majority of deaths resulting from the coronavirus are among those 65 or over, there are significant dangers for younger age groups as well.
“A new study of over 2,100 children with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases in China showed that while most had no symptoms or mild or moderate symptoms, about 6% suffered severe symptoms. Only one child in the study, a 14-year-old boy, died, though some remained hospitalized.”
According to Moran, his son had not been feeling ill prior to suddenly becoming unresponsive on Sunday.
The State of Louisiana has become one of the “hotspots” for the spread of the coronavirus. As of this writing, there have been over 2,300 confirmed cases and 86 deaths, resulting from the virus.
The Mardi Gras celebration at the end of February, is believed to have played a major role in the spread of the virus.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn