Tributes flow for 'gentle' boy, 15, who died after contracting Covid
A community is in mourning after a Sydney teenager died in hospital while being treated for pneumococcal meningitis and Covid-19.
Tributes have poured in for Osama Suduh, 15, who died on Sunday night in the Sydney Children’s Hospital from pneumococcal meningitis.
The hospital confirmed the teen was Covid-19 positive but said it was not the reason for his admission or the cause of his death, The Australian reported.
NSW is yet to open the vaccine program to those under 16 years, meaning the Kingsgrove North High School student was ineligible for the jab. He was up to date with his routine child vaccinations.
His high school offered its sympathies to Osama’s family and remembered him for his “intelligence, hard work and kindness towards others”.
“Osama was also active in our school community, which made him well-liked and respected,” the school said.
“He was a gentle soul, who will be missed intensely by everyone.
“It is normal for us to grieve individually and as a school community over Osama’s passing, but we are glad to have known him, albeit too briefly, for the outstanding young man he was.”
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has described his death as a "tragedy".
“What an incredible tragedy it was for that young man to die last night,” he told Sunrise on Monday.
Osama is the youngest person in Australia to die with coronavirus.
On Facebook, there was also an outpouring of grief on the Request Dua page.
One woman called his death “absolutely devastating”.
Others mourned the death of a boy “so young”.
Doctors worried about Covid-19 in children
The Australian Medical Association's Danielle McMullen said Osama's death highlighted concerns around the transmission of Covid among young people.
"We've been concerned throughout this Delta outbreak by the increased rates of Covid-19 in children and young people," Dr McMullen told AAP.
"Given we don't have a vaccine for children under 12, our only way to keep them safe is to stay home and get these numbers turned around.
"In children usually Covid-19 is a mild illness, but we can see some children get really unwell or suffer longer term consequences of their Covid illness."
There have been 2400 cases of COVID-19 in people aged under 20 in NSW since July 1, with 1488 in the past fortnight.
with AAP
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