11-Year-Old Boy Becomes Florida's Youngest Coronavirus Fatality

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLA — An 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade County became Florida’s youngest person to die of the coronavirus this week as the outbreak surged to record levels across the state.

The boy, identified by Local 10 as Daequan Wimberly, was special needs and suffered from underlying health conditions. More than 7,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 in Florida, but only a handful have died of the disease. According to the Florida Department of Health, two other children succumbed to the disease, a 16-year-old girl in Lee County and a 17-year-old boy in Pasco County. Miami-Dade County has been hard hit by the outbreak, suffering more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Daequan’s family described him as a champ who overcame so many obstacles with spirit.

“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,” the boy’s father Jerry told Local 10.

A GoFundMe page has been established to help pay for Daequan’s funeral. The young boy’s death struck a chord with Floridians collectively suffering one of the worst outbreaks in the nation. In less than 24 hours, the GoFundMe page raised $10,585.

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