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A view of U.S. Naval Hospital Guam after it opened in 2014, replacing a facility built in 1954.

A view of U.S. Naval Hospital Guam after it opened in 2014, replacing a facility built in 1954. (Jesse Leon Guerrero/U.S. Navy)

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A 10-year-old boy who died late Saturday is the youngest victim of the coronavirus on Guam as the U.S. territory’s pandemic death toll rises to 26.

The patient, who had underlying heath conditions, according the Guam governor’s office, tested positive on Sept. 3 and died at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam. His connection to the U.S. military was not announced.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, in a statement expressing condolences on Sunday, called the death announcement the hardest one she’s had to make.

“This is news no parent ever wants to receive. He was a child, with a full life ahead of him. There is no pain deeper than losing a child … with his passing, we are forced to see the reality that COVID-19 does not spare even the most innocent among us. None of us are immune to this virus, and we need to do whatever it takes to ensure we have no more days of grief.”

Guerrero, who recovered from the coronavirus after testing positive last month, recently extended a stay-at-home order until noon Friday that directs “all persons in Guam” to remain in their residences, except for essential activities such as food shopping, medical care or commuting to and from work.

The island has been under a “Pandemic Condition of Readiness 1” since Aug. 15. That order, which is set to expire Sept. 30, shutters nonessential businesses; forces schools to use virtual instruction; prohibits most public gatherings; and closes parks and beaches to most visitors.

As of Monday evening, Guam had recorded 1,927 coronavirus infections. Of those, 257 have been U.S. service members.

The U.S. military on Guam, which is under Health Protection Condition-Charlie, signifying a “substantial” risk of infection there, does not publicize new cases regularly.

news@stripes.com

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