CORONA, Queens — The death of an 8-year-old girl in Queens on Monday has been deemed flu-related, authorities said.
Police said the girl, identified as Amely Baez by police sources on Tuesday, was diagnosed with the flu and was being treated for the virus. Her parents call 911 Monday and when officers arrived, they found the child unresponsive.
Police said her parents tried to perform CPR and officers tried to help, as well. But when the child arrived at the hospital, she was pronounced dead.
The city health department has confirmed that the girl’s death was related to the flu. It’s unknown if she received the vaccine.
Her’s is the second pediatric, flu-related death of the season, the city said Monday. Details about the other child were not released, though officials said they died within the past few days.
Last flu season, six flu-related pediatric deaths were reported in New York City, among 106 nationwide. Over the past 14 years, between zero and eight such deaths are reported to the city’s health department each flu season.
There are still weeks left in this flu this season, officials said. Anyone who has not received a flu shot is encouraged to do so.
It’s recommended that children, especially, receive a flu vaccine, which has been show to “significantly reduce a child’s risk of dying from influenza,” according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
