12-Year-Old Ernesto Guzman Is Youngest Cook County COVID-19 Victim
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 12-year-old boy has died, the youngest COVID-19 victim in Cook County.
CBS 2's Steven Graves has the story from Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Just after midnight, Ernesto Guzman lost his battle with COVID-19. The Cook County Medical Examiner said the virus, paired with underlying conditions, led to his death.
The family set up a GoFundMe page for Ernesto's funeral arrangements. His uncle remembers him as a child who valued family and unity.
Ernesto had been battling something called Charcot-Marie-Tooth since he was six. The National Institutes of Health classified it as a group of disorders that attack the nerves and can lead to muscle weakness.
The medical examiner's office also said Ernesto had asthma and obstructive sleep apnea. The 12 year-old's family was understandably too distraught to speak further with CBS 2.
The next youngest in Cook County to die from COVID-19 was a 19-year-old man.