Child Under Age 11 Dies From COVID-19 While On Vacation With Vaccinated Parents

A young boy has died from COVID-19 while traveling with his parents, who were both fully vaccinated.

The unidentified boy is under the age of 11 and traveled to Hawaii with his parents, who received the full COVID-19 vaccine. On Tuesday, the Hawaii Department of Health confirmed that the child had known underlying conditions. The death was the first time a child within that age range had died from COVID-19 in Hawaii, which has seen 479 deaths since the outbreak began.

While much of the information about the child hasn’t been released to the public due to privacy laws, Brooks Baehr, spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Health, confirmed that both parents have tested negative for COVID-19.

Before traveling to Hawaii, the parents were tested for COVID-19. It is unknown whether the child was tested. Individuals traveling to Hawaii may use a negative COVID-19 test to excuse them from the required 10-day quarantine rule for incoming visitors. Children under five are not required to be tested before arriving in Hawaii. Baehr could not confirm whether the child had been tested.

“While we mourn all victims of COVID-19, today’s announcement of the death of a child from this virus is especially heartbreaking,” Governor David Ige said in a statement. He went on to add, “While the parents appear to have taken the steps to insulate the child from COVID by, you know, getting vaccinated and they were tested before they came, this child still somehow was infected with the virus and eventually succumbed to it.”