NJ 12-Year-Old Dies After Testing Positive For COVID-19

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — The community is mourning the loss of a seventh-grader in Haddon Township who reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus.

Amelia Perry died at the age of 12, according to a GoFundMe page that was launched to help her family. She had just started seventh grade at the William G. Rohrer Middle School.

“Amelia exhibited love, kindness, and acceptance,” organizer Nina Rippo, a close family friend, said. “She had the gift to unify all those around her, and she always put others ahead of herself. She was a Beacon of Hope for all those who knew her.”

Perry tested positive for the coronavirus on Sept. 21, according to nj.com. She was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes the same day, and was also suffering from pneumonia when she died at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Sept. 23. Her cause of death has not yet been determined.

“Her mother, Corinne, her sister, Ella, and her family need our help and support in processing this tragic loss,” Rippo said in the fundraiser. “Any money donated will go directly to The Perry Family to help ease their burden.”

As of Tuesday night, the fundraiser had raised $2,848. Rippo also launched an online meal train, which had raised $8,473 for the family.

“We just really appreciate the outpouring of support from everyone,” Perry’s uncle Derek Schofield told CBS 3.

“Amelia was a quiet, kind-hearted, joyful young lady who's favorite saying was ‘always face the light,’” a relative wrote on social media. “She joins our grandmother in Heaven, who also lost her life to this disease. Please pray for her peace and her family's healing. We will miss her dearly.”

A visitation for Perry will be Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., according to her online obituary. It will take place at Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish, St John Catholic Church, 809 Park Avenue in Collingswood. A funeral mass will follow from noon to 1 p.m.

Earlier this week, state health officials continued to emphasize the need for children to get vaccinated as the delta variant spurs an increase in coronavirus cases among children.

As of Monday, a little more than 59 percent of children ages 12 to 17 had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

There were 23 outbreaks of the coronavirus in schools, and a total of 102 cases, according to officials. Eleven children were hospitalized with the coronavirus, including three that were in intensive care. Seven children in New Jersey have died due to the coronavirus.