A 12-year-old from Gage Park on the Southwest Side has died after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the youngest confirmed victim of the disease in Cook County, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Ernesto Guzman was pronounced dead at 12:18 a.m. Thursday at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the office.
The primary cause of death was listed as pneumonia from COVID-19 viral infection, with asthma, obstructive sleep apnea and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder — a neurological disease — listed as contributing factors, the office said.
An autopsy was scheduled for later Thursday, but the office said Ernesto is the youngest known death from COVID-19 in Cook County.
The child’s uncle, Sergio Lara, set up a GoFundMe page to help defray medical and funeral expenses. It raised more than $10,000 in the first three hours.
“While he may have been taken from us at such a young age, we will never forget the importance of unity and family he valued so much,” the family said in a statement on the page. “He was constantly surrounded by love and happiness, and we know he’s made an impact on anyone he’s met.”
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During the state’s daily briefing, Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi O. Ezike was asked about the death and said “everybody in Illinois is saddened.’’
“Of course, every life lost is a tragedy,” she said. “But it is somehow just more emotional when it’s a child at the beginning of their life.”
Before Thursday, the youngest COVID-19 victim in Cook County was a 19-year-old man from south suburban Riverdale, according to the medical examiner’s office said.
In March, public health officials said a 9-month-old boy from Chicago died after testing positive for COVID-19. But samples are still being tested to confirm the cause, the office said Thursday.
