JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This week, a patient at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville died due to COVID-19, the hospital confirmed.
"The death of a child is always tragic, and our hearts are with the family as they grieve this loss," Wolfson said in a statement.
The hospital did not provide the child's age or any underlying health conditions due to patient privacy laws.
It did, however, encourage everyone to continue wearing masks, washing hands and getting vaccinated.
The pandemic continues to take its toll on Florida. On Thursday, a record 12,888 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. And, at least 135 of them are children.
As the Miami Herald pointed out, more Florida kids were hospitalized with coronavirus earlier this week than in any other state. And, health experts are concerned because children under 12 still aren't eligible to receive any of the COVID-19 vaccines that have emergency use authorization in the United States.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to push back against any mask mandates in the state's public schools, saying health decisions should be left to parents.