4-year-old Quebec girl’s death related to COVID-19 ‘incredibly sad,’ says health minister

Quebec’s health minister is offering his condolences to the family of a four-year-old girl after a hospital network in the province’s capital confirmed she died “due to circumstances related to COVID-19.”

“This is incredibly sad news,” Christian Dubé wrote on social media. “I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of this little girl.”

The CHU de Québec – Université Laval network in Quebec City confirmed the child’s death in a statement Monday. It did not provide more details, citing confidentiality and respect for the patient’s loved ones.

The hospital also extended its condolences to the parents and the family of the young girl.

In mid-December 2021, an infant died of COVID-19 at a Montreal children’s hospital. The CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital said the baby, who was born healthy, had recently been hospitalized with the disease and was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.

According to Quebec Health Department data, that was the first child under 10 to die of the novel coronavirus in the province.

In Quebec, the majority of deaths related to the pandemic has occurred among the elderly. The department says 12,364 deaths have been linked to COVID-19 in the province, and more than 70 per cent of them have been among people aged 80 and older.

—with files from Global News’ Annabelle Olivier and The Canadian Press

by Global News