Toronto Public Health confirms COVID-19-related death in young person

Toronto Public Health's offices at Dundas and Victoria St. in Toronto is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Health officials in Toronto have confirmed the COVID-19-related death of a person under the age of 19.

On Saturday, the province reported that it had logged another death of a person with COVID-19 who was under the age of 19. There have been 10 deaths confirmed so far in that age group throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toronto Public Health confirmed to CTV News Toronto on Sunday that the death was reported by their public health unit, though details on the exact age of the individual and the circumstances surrounding their death are unknown.

“We offer our condolences as we confirm a recent COVID-19 related death of an individual under 19 years old in Toronto,” a Toronto Public Health spokesperson said in an email. “We are unable to provide further details regarding this child in order to protect their personal health information under the provincial Personal Health Information Protection Act and out of respect for the privacy of the individual and their family.”

On Jan. 6, officials confirmed that two children in Ontario under the age of 10 had died after testing positive for COVID-19 in the previous two weeks. The deaths included a child under the age of four in Toronto and a child under the age of 10 in Wellington County, the respective local public health units said.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore has said that the death of children as a result of COVID-19 is “exceptionally rare.”