8th-grade boy first child to die of COVID-19 in Missouri, data show

An eighth-grade boy in Missouri has died from complications due to the coronavirus, his family says. He’s the first person in the state under the age of 18 to die from the virus, data show.

Peyton Baumgarth, a 13-year-old student at Washington Middle School, died over the weekend after contracting COVID-19, the school district said in a letter to parents, KMOV reported.

He last attended school on Thursday, Oct. 22, and officials were informed Oct. 26 that he was in quarantine, according to the outlet.

Peyton’s family said he was hospitalized after developing symptoms but never improved, KSDK reported.

State data as of Nov. 1 show no deaths for Missourians under the age of 18, making Peyton the first child to die of COVID-19 in the state.

“We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family and ask that the public respects their privacy. His family deserves nothing less,” school officials said in the letter, according to KSDK. “The family also asks that we all remember to wear masks, wash hands frequently and follow guidelines.”

The school district said it will have additional counselors onhand for students when they return to the middle school on Wednesday, KTVI reported.

Child deaths from COVID-19 are not common, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Typically, children infected with the virus have only mild symptoms, if they show any symptoms at all.

Babies less than a year old and children with underlying health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease are more likely to get severely ill from the virus, the CDC said.

Some children with COVID-19 develop a rare but severe disease called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), which causes parts of the body, including vital organs, to become inflamed. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, but it can be deadly, the CDC said.

About 17,000 children age 17 and under have tested positive for COVID-19 in Missouri since the onset of the pandemic, state data show.

Five people between ages 18 and 24 have died, state data show.

In the week leading up to Oct. 30, Missouri added 15,208 cases of the coronavirus and 78 deaths, state data show. The state has had 188,186 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic and 3,301 deaths, data through Oct. 30 shows.

Washington is roughly 50 miles west of St. Louis.