Lakewood girl who died of COVID-19 is first Pierce County child killed by virus

A Lakewood girl under the age of 10 with underlying health conditions died of the coronavirus Jan. 30, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said Friday.

She was the first person in Pierce County under the age of 18 to die of COVID-19.

“This sad news of this young girl’s death reminds us that we need to use all the best public health practices to protect each other from COVID-19,” TPCHD Director Dr. Anthony Chen said in a news release. “COVID-19 will continue to be with us for some time. Making healthy choices and getting vaccinated are the best ways to help our community recover.”

The health department said children are typically less at risk from COVID-19 than older people, but they do sometimes get seriously ill or die. Children ages 5-11 are the least-vaccinated group of people eligible to be vaccinated in Pierce County. According to the release, 19% of children in this age group are fully vaccinated.

Children age 5 and older are eligible to get vaccinated, and the health department advised everyone over age 12 to get booster shots. COVID-19 vaccination information can be found on TPCHD’s website.

In Pierce County, the health department said people who have not been vaccinated for COVID-19 are three times more likely to be infected by the virus, 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and nine times more likely to die.