A Chicago teenager without underlying conditions died of COVID-19 just a week after being diagnosed with the virus, his family says.
Arnold Herrera recovered at home and called his family in the new year, but then his condition worsened and he was admitted to a local hospital in Chicago, reports WLS.
Herrera passed away Sunday, becoming the 11th person to die from COVID-19 under the age of 20 in Illinois.
His family was amazed at how quickly he deteriorated and said it does not provide immunity to the virus to be young.
‘It does not distinguish age. It just happens. And we all need to be careful, ‘Herrera’s brother, Pablo Portilla, told WLS. “We must not think, ‘Oh yes, because I’m young, it’s not going to happen to me,’ like no. ‘ “
Herrera enjoyed playing guitar in his church and recently studied at Benito Juarez High School in Chicago, where he was a member of the JROTC program.