Virginia 10-year-old girl dies of COVID-19 complications

SUFFOLK, Va. — When 8-year-old Alexander Taylor came location from schoolhouse past week with a cough and runny nose, his dada panicked and instantly took him to get tested for COVID-19.

"His results came backmost negative," said Barry Taylor, Alexander's father. "We interest arsenic overmuch arsenic everyone other does astir our children and their exposure, some successful schoolhouse and out, to COVID whenever they interact with anyone."

That consciousness of interest is heightened aft proceeding the devastating quality that hits adjacent to home.

Taylor's third-grade lad goes to Hillpoint Elementary successful Suffolk — the aforesaid schoolhouse Teresa Sperry attended arsenic a fifth-grader before doctors accidental she died earlier this week of complications from COVID-19.

"I nonstop my condolences to the family," Barry Taylor said. "I decidedly grieve with them. I consciousness their loss. No genitor should hide a child. No genitor should hide a precise young child, particularly from thing that looked similar a acold oregon flu."

Teresa's grief-stricken parents are trying to process the unimaginable nonaccomplishment of their lone girl, saying she died astatine the infirmary Monday conscionable 5 days aft having flu-like symptoms.

"While I was successful that room, her pulse stopped," said Teresa's mother, Nicole Sperry. "They couldn't find her pulse. They spent 30 minutes trying to bring her back."

Nicole and Jeff Sperry said their 10-year-old girl was steadfast earlier she contracted the virus. They're present urging different parents to grant their girl by getting vaccinated.

"She was active, and she was healthy, and she loved to creation and loved to sing," Nicole Sperry said. "I privation families to cognize that this is real, and radical request to deterioration their masks."

Barry Taylor said helium plans connected vaccinating his lad Alexander erstwhile the changeable becomes disposable for his property group. Until then, the 8-year-old says helium knows helium needs to disguise up.

"If I don't person this mask, germs could dispersed freely," Alexander said. "The disguise successful my encephalon catches the germs, truthful it doesn't spread."

Although wellness experts accidental complications from COVID-19 successful children are rare, they urge those 2 years of property and older deterioration a disguise to dilatory the spread.

Meantime, Teresa's father, Jeff, is recovering from COVID-19 himself. The household hopes to commencement readying her ceremonial soon. To assistance with the costs, click here.

This communicative was primitively published by Antoinette DelBel connected Scripps presumption WTKR successful Norfolk, Virginia.