According to them, the little girl was younger than 10 and had underlying health conditions. She passed away in mid-October.
We asked the health department why the death is just now being reported and they sent us this statement: “There is no standard length of time for reporting COVID deaths. It’s a complex process requiring several investigative steps that may include obtaining lab results, death certificate, locating and interviewing the next of kin, interviewing the patient’s physician, medical records review, and securing other relevant information such as autopsy results if one is conducted.”
The health department said genome sequencing didn’t identify which COVID variant she was infected with. They also can’t share much more information about her due to privacy laws.
“The death of a child under any circumstance is heartbreaking,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “On behalf of the City of Houston, I extend my condolences to the girl’s family during this unimaginable time of grief.”
Of the nearly 4,000 deaths they have confirmed, about 70% of them were at least 60 years old. Percentages drop to around 16% when looking at younger age groups.