Atlanta

12-year-old girl being treated at Children’s Healthcare for coronavirus

ATLANTA — The new coronavirus recorded more firsts in Georgia this weekend: the first confirmed case of an Atlanta police officer, the first state prison inmates and one of the first known cases in an adolescent, a girl who was fighting for her life Saturday at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The case involving 12-year-old Emma, relayed by a relative, is particularly concerning as COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, so far has been less likely to seriously strike the youngest members of the population. Just 1% of COVID-19 patients in Georgia are in the 0-17 age group, according to the state’s latest figures, though ages aren’t known for 26 percent of reported cases.

A restaurateur, whose restaurants include 10 Degrees South and Yebo Ski Haus, said his cousin Emma tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night.

Emma suffered from a fever that would not break for several days and visited the emergency room multiple times before being admitted to Scottish Rite on March 15 with what was believed to be pneumonia. But Anthony said Emma’s condition worsened and she was placed on a ventilator.

The family said they don’t know how Emma contracted the virus.

Read the full story on AJC.com.

This article was written by J. Scott Trubey and Kelly Yamanouchi with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.