Alberta Health confirmed that the youngest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic was a woman in her 20s from the Edmonton zone.
Alberta Health could not provide her exact age.
According to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Alberta woman in her 20s is the youngest death of COVID-19 in the country at this point in the crisis.
As of Sunday morning, three people between the ages of 20 and 39 had died.
In addition to the woman, a 34-year-old Alberta man died of the virus, as had a person in Quebec between the ages of 30 and 39, according to PHAC data, making them the youngest victims of COVID-19.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, confirmed the young woman’s death on Friday, adding it is “not clear at this time if she had any underlying health conditions.”
Hinshaw said she has heard some people in Alberta suggest that young people do not have to be as concerned about the novel coronavirus as much as others, but said young people are also getting sick. Everyone needs to take the health crisis seriously as the pandemic still has so many unknowns to it, she said.
“Some people who are young and healthy will go on to have severe disease and even die, so until we have more information about who may be at greatest risk and more evidence about treatments, the best way to prevent severe illness is for all of us to perform physical distancing, stay home when possible, to avoid non-essential activities,” she said.
“The world learns more every day about COVID-19.”
As of Sunday, April 5, Alberta had 1,250 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths, according to Alberta Health.
– With files from Global News’ Phil Heidenreich