Girl with COVID-19 dies in Wellington County, public health reports show

While she was positive for the virus at the time of her death, “no further information on the cause of death is available at this time,” the health unit said in a statement.

Dr Nicola Mercer, Medical Officer of Health and CEO of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, offered his condolences to the girl’s family and said “no words are enough to comfort those who mourn this terrible loss” .

“Since the start of the pandemic, more than 100 people in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph have died from COVID-19, each of them a deep and permanent loss to those who loved them and to the fabric of our community,” Mercer said in the statement.

The health unit has reported 129 COVID-related deaths since March 2020.

Also Thursday, Toronto Public Health confirmed that a child under the age of four had died after testing positive for the virus.

The deaths come as public health officials across the country are warn adolescents, children and even newborns are among the growing number of Canadians hospitalized with COVID-19 as Omicron infections continue to rise across the country to unprecedented levels.

Medical experts always stress that COVID-19 remains a relatively mild illness for the vast majority of children.

In September 2021, a child aged 10 or under died in Waterloo region after testing positive for COVID-19.

At the time, Waterloo Region Medical Officer of Health Dr Hsiu-Li Wang said the child’s death was “a rare but tragic circumstance and a devastating reminder of the serious nature of this virus” .

Waterloo region and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph public health officials said vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 have stalled and they want to contact the parents to let them know that there are many appointments open for the children to get their first dose. In Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, children can go to any clinic run by public health to receive their first dose.