MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – An 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade County has died as a result of COVID-19, News 6 sister station Local 10 reports.
Daequan Wimberly was a special needs child who overcame many obstacles and illnesses and was “a champ,” his family says.
He is Florida’s youngest known death from the disease.
“I loved the way he treated people, the way he showed love to people, and I think of the simplicity of love and how far it reaches,” said the boy’s father Jerry.
The state’s health department does not identify coronavirus victims in its reporting but listed an 11-year-old boy among Florida’s latest confirmed fatalities as a result of COVID-19 on Thursday.
Miami-Dade has lost 1,018 residents to COVID-19, most in the state. The county reported a record one-day increase of 2,304 COVID-19 cases Thursday morning as the state set a new mark of its own with more than 10,000 new cases.
Over 7,000 children under age 18 have tested positive for COVID-19 in Florida, according to the Miami Herald, which reports that more than 2,800 of those were confirmed to be in South Florida.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.