HALL COUNTY, Ga. — An infant died due to COVID complications in metro Atlanta this week, according to state data, the second time an infant death due to the coronavirus has been reported in Georgia.
The state on Wednesday reported a child under the age of 1 year old had died in Hall County from COVID. The child was reported to be a boy and it was unknown whether he had any chronic conditions. His exact age was not known. Georgia does not list the exact ages of children under 1 year old in its reports.
In December, the state first reported a death of a baby due to COVID, in Houston County. That child was said to have a chronic condition.
The second infant death comes amid a spike in COVID fatalities that have followed Georgia's latest peak of the pandemic due to Omicron. Deaths are a lagging indicator, according to experts, because these numbers usually rise weeks after hospitalizations and cases have stared falling.
A 15-year-old from Long County, also recently died due to COVID, according to DPH data. He was listed as having comorbidities.
While cases have begun to subside since about mid-January, deaths are rising and remain elevated statewide. The state reported more than 160 fatalities on Wednesday, in what appears to be the highest days we've seen since Omicron arrived Georgia.
The latest infant death in Georgia comes as the federal Food and Drug Administration considers whether to issue an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine to children between the ages of six months and five years.
The FDA's vaccine advisory committee will next meet on Feb. 15 to consider whether it will ultimately give a recommendation for the emergency use authorization.