A Chicago teen with no underlying conditions died from COVID-19 just a week after being diagnosed with the virus, his family says.
Arnold Herrera was recovering at home and ringing in the New Year with his family, but then his condition deteriorated and he was admitted to a local hospital in Chicago, WLS reported.
Herrera died Sunday, becoming the 11th person to die of COVID-19 under the age of 20 in Illinois.
His family was amazed at how quickly he was deteriorating, saying that being young does not provide immunity to the virus.
“It doesn’t differentiate by age. It just happens. And we all have to be careful, ”Herrera’s brother, Pablo Portilla, told WLS. “We shouldn’t think, ‘Oh yeah, because I’m young, it won’t happen to me’, like no. ”
Herrera loved to play guitar at his church and recently graduated from Benito Juarez High School in Chicago, where he was a member of the JROTC program, according to the outlet.