Seattle Children’s Confirms Its First Patient Death From COVID

Elise Takahama / The Seattle Times

Seattle Children’s on Tuesday confirmed the first patient death from COVID-19, an announcement that, as hospital administrators across the state, warns of a growing number of infections in children.

Dr. John McGuire, chief of the pediatric intensive care unit at Seattle Children, said in a statement that the patient died last week “despite the extraordinary efforts of the nursing team.”

“This affects all of us near home, and the patient and family are in the minds and hearts of the Seattle Children’s Community,” McGuire said in the statement.

He made no further details – including the child’s age or date of death – citing the patient’s privacy.

While infections in children in Washington remain relatively low compared to other countries, state hospitals leaders said Monday that the number of younger COVID-19 patients is increasing.

“Children get sick and they get even sicker,” said Dr. Dave Carlson, chief medical officer of the MultiCare Health System, which serves the Pierce County and Spokane area, during a press conference Monday. “And our numbers aren’t huge right now, but I’m very concerned that if you look at some of the experiences of children’s hospitals in other states that could change.”

The seven-day case rate for children between the ages of 4 and 10 hit 15.3 per 100,000, according to the state Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard. For children aged 11 to 13 years, the seven-day fall rate was 7.2.

Infections among Washingtonians between the ages of 4 and 19 – DOH identifies them as “K-12 school age groups” – declined steadily between May and July of this year, but the number of cases rose again towards the end of July, peaking in mid-July August.