A nine-year-old girl in Texas died unexpectedly in her sleep, three days after the test was positive for coronavirus, family members said.
Makenzie’s aunt, Victoria Southworth, 37, told the channel that the girl’s mother took her to the Brooke Army Medical Center for a throat infection, coronavirus and flu test.
While the strep and flu tests were negative, the Covid-19 test was positive, said her maternal aunt.
Ms. Southworth told the network that Makenzie’s symptoms seemed mild, that she “had no breathing problems” and “there was nothing serious going on”.
“The doctors told my sister-in-law [to] take her home and make her comfortable, to monitor her fever, ”the girl’s other aunt, Erica Gongora, from Austin, Texas, told the network.
She said the girl’s mother was told that “if you get over a certain point, or if there is any other major problem that has occurred, go ahead and bring her back to the hospital.”
She added: “There was no difficulty in breathing or anything, at that point.”
According to Ms. Gongora, on February 1 Makenzie went to bed early after complaining that she was feeling very exhausted.
“My sister-in-law later examined her at night and realized that she was no longer breathing and couldn’t find the pulse,” she said.
The girl’s family reportedly said they did not know if Makenzie had an underlying disease, but noted that Makenzie was a little small for her age.
The family would be waiting for more information about the cause of death and his body was sent to a laboratory in Dallas, Texas, to be examined. An autopsy is still pending.
“We want to get answers about why it was taken from us so quickly,” Southworth told KSAT.
The Makenzie school district in Northside, Texas, said TODAY that they were “saddened” by the loss of the nine-year-old boy in a statement.
“The Scarborough Elementary School community is saddened by the loss of fourth grader Makenzie Gongora,” they said.
“Our thoughts are with her family during this very difficult time.”
Ms. Southworth created a GoFundMe campaign after Makenzie’s death to help her family pay for a funeral and memorial that has already raised more than double her $ 30,000 goal.
Her family members said Makenzie loved to cook and play Disney costumes, arts and crafts and films.
Makenzie’s aunts said the goal was to raise awareness that although children normally do not have serious illnesses due to Covid-19, they can become seriously ill.
“[Makenzie’s parents] they followed all the directions given by the doctors, and the doctors are also perplexed (how much) why Makenzie was one of the children taken by Covid, ”said Ms. Gongora TODAY.