WACO, Texas — An 11-year-old boy from McLennan County has died from COVID-19, according to the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.
The unidentified boy died Friday afternoon at a hospital located outside of McLennan County.
This is the county's first pediatric death due to COVID-19.
The Health District is encouraging residents to remain vigilant and continue with COVID-19 safety protocols such as vaccinations, masks, and physical distancing.
“Unfortunately, our community remains very vulnerable to the Delta variant of coronavirus that is plaguing us now," said Farley Verner, MD, health authority for the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.
"Our main hope to minimize the number of tragedies like this is in getting more people who are currently eligible to go ahead and get vaccinated and expand those efforts to children once vaccines for those age groups are available, hopefully soon," Verner said.
Waco Mayor Dillon Meek has since released the following statement regarding the 11-year-old's death:
“My heart breaks for all of those who have lost loved ones due to COVID-19 over the past 18 months. And on behalf of the city, my family and I send our condolences and prayers for peace, comfort, courage and love to the friends and family of this child. This tragedy serves as a sobering reminder that we must all continue to do what we can to protect the vulnerable from the spread of COVID-19. I continue to urge all eligible community members who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine to talk to their healthcare provider and make a plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible. If you are concerned about the vaccine, I implore you to consult with your doctor—just like you would on all other health-related matters—to thoroughly discuss and address those concerns. If you ultimately choose not to get vaccinated, I ask you to recognize how contagious this virus is in causing unvaccinated patients of all ages to develop serious, serious illness and take the appropriate steps at this time to alter your behaviors.”
