Pictured: Portuguese schoolboy, 14, who had psoriasis becomes ‘youngest’ person to die of coronavirus in Europe
- Vitor Godinho suffered from psoriasis, but no major underlying conditions
- He lived in Ovar, south of Porto, with his family, and died in early hours of today
- Comes after healthy 16-year-old girl Julie Alliot died at a Paris hospital this week
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
A 14-year-old boy from Portugal is believed to have become the youngest person to die of coronavirus in Europe.
Vitor Godinho, from Ovar, half an hour’s drive south of Porto, died in the early hours of Sunday after being rushed to Sao Sebastiao Hospital in nearby Santa Maria da Feira.
He is thought to have suffered from psoriasis, but had no major underlying health conditions.
His death comes after 16-year-old French schoolgirl Julie Alliot died at a hospital in Paris on Wednesday. She had no underlying health conditions and was pronounced dead a week after developing ‘a slight cough’.
Vitor Godinho, 14, from Ovar, Portugal, is believed to have become the youngest person to die from coronavirus in Europe
The boy, pictured holding an award, is thought to have suffered from psoriasis but to have had no underlying health conditions
Medics are said to have decided against transferring the Portuguese boy to a hospital with a paediatric A&E unit in Porto, Portugal’s second largest city, because of the severity of his condition.
The Portuguese Football Federation paid tribute to the teenager today. He played futsal – which is similar to five a side football – for Maceda Cultural and Recreational Centre.
Its president Fernando Gomes said in a heartbreaking statement: ‘With profound consternation I am sending my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Vitor Rafael Bastos Godinho.
‘At this moment of deep pain for his loved ones, I am also sending words of comfort to the footballing family in the Aveiro region who share with us the disappearance of such a precocious talent.’
Before today, Miss Alliot was the youngest reported COVID-19 death in Europe.
Her sister Manon paid tribute to her, saying she was ‘bright and much loved’ and ‘loved to dance, sing and make people laugh.’
In the UK, the youngest healthy victim is 21-year-old Chloe Middleton, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, who died earlier this week.
An 18-year-old Briton also succumbed to the virus, but they had underlying health conditions.
The 14-year-old boy, from Ovar, half an hour’s drive south of Porto, died in the early hours of Sunday after being rushed to Sao Sebastiao Hospital in nearby Santa Maria da Feira (pictured)
Tributes were today being paid to Julie Alliot, 16, (pictured) who succumbed to respiratory problems in a Paris hospital on Wednesday after first developing a ‘slight cough’ a week ago
The number of COVID-19 deaths in Portugal stood at 119 at lunchtime on Sunday.
Nearly 6,000 are infected with the virus and another 5,500 were awaiting the results of tests according to Ministry of Health figures.
Earlier today it emerged a British man has died on the Algarve after falling ill with coronavirus.
The OAP, who was in his seventies, lost his two-week fight for life yesterday at Faro Hospital.
He lived in Benagil, a beach area near Lagoa which is known for its spectacular cave.
Lagoa’s mayor Luis Encarnacao confirmed the death, the town’s second since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
The first was a 60-year-old teacher who lived in Carvoeiro and has been named as Manuel Magalhaes.
Mr Encarnacao said he had spoken to the families of both men to offer them his condolences. The British expat has not been named.