9-year-old dies in Fort Worth hospital because of COVID-19

article

FORT WORTH, Texas - A 9-year-old boy who was healthy enough to go to class one day died from COVID-19 at Cook Children's Hospital a few days later.

According to posts by family members on social media, Jason "J.J." Boatman attended Central Elementary School in Vernon, northwest of Wichita Falls.

Vernon ISD confirmed he was on campus Friday and then passed away Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19.

"He was running around playing one day and by that night he was having difficulty breathing. He got flown to Fort Worth where he was placed on a ventilator and the doctor said his lungs were filled with liquid and his brain had swollen from lack of oxygen," a relative wrote on his GoFundMe page.

Family members described J.J., who recently turned 9 years old, as "always happy and full of life."

"He was very strong and hung on for more than 12 hours, but at the end COVID-19 claimed another young victim," the GoFundMe page says.

Central Elementary was shut down early Tuesday and all students and staff were told to quarantine until at least Feb. 1.

Vernon ISD said the school will be disinfected and grief counselors will be available to students when they return.