Orange County officials confirmed Thursday night that a child under the age of 5 died in December of complications from COVID-19.
The announcement comes as cases are climbing in Orange County and throughout California, driven by the Omicron variant.
“We have lost another precious young life to this terrible virus; it is our third pediatric death in Orange County since the start of the pandemic,” said Dr. Clayton Chau, the county’s health officer. “This is yet another somber reminder that we must continue to do everything we can to protect our loved ones, especially our little ones under 5 years of age who are not able to be vaccinated.”
No COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for use in children younger than 5.
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Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly indicated that the death was the county’s third COVID-19 among children under the age of 5. It is the county’s third pediatric COVID-19 death overall.