A Chicago teenager with no underlying conditions died from COVID-19 just one week after being diagnosed with the virus, his family says.
Arnold Herrera was recovering at home and called in the new year with his family, but his condition worsened 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 it deteriorated, saying that being young does not confer immunity to the virus.
“It simply came to our notice then. It’s just happening. And we should all be careful, “Herrera’s brother Pablo Portilla told WLS. “We shouldn’t think, ‘Oh, yes, because I’m young,’ it won’t happen to me. ‘ “
Herrera enjoyed playing 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 press.