California Governor reports what may be first U.S. coronavirus death of person under 18
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
In his live address to the State of California today, Governor Gavin Newsom reported the death of a Lancaster teenager from COVID-19.
The governor also shared that the total number of cases in California had topped 2,102 with at least 40 deaths as of 10:00am Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Newsom says that a 17.5% increase in cases from the day before. The latest tally by Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday found California registered more than 2,500 cases with at least 50 deaths.
The statistic from Newsom was accompanied by a warning to young people that 50% of those who have tested positive from coronavirus in California thus far are between 18 and 49 years old.
26% of those impacted by the disease are from 50 to 64 years old in the state. 23% of those infected are over 65 years old.
The governor says seniors are still more likely to be hospitalized from the illness but noted that, "this disease impacts everybody."
Newsom encouraged people to continue to take the social distancing law seriously.
In related news, Governor Newsom says 114,000 jobless claims have been made in the state. "Our unemployment insurance system is being overwhelmed," according to Newsom.