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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.

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