A high school student in Madison, Wisconsin has died after a brief coronavirus-related illness, according to officials. In an email to students and families, East High School’s principal said junior Isai Morocho died unexpectedly during the Thanksgiving break.
Principal Brendan Kearney described Morocho as “a caring friend and family member with a ready smile and great sense of humor,” as well as “an excellent student who enjoyed theatre and had talked of becoming a chef and owning his own business.”
A GoFundMe page set up to cover the costs of Morocho’s funeral said that the teenager “had no bad bone in his body.”
A Madison Metropolitan School District spokesperson confirmed to CBS affiliate WISC-TV this is the first student in the district who has died of COVID-related causes. The district issued a statement Monday.
“All of MMSD is heartbroken to learn of the passing of an East High School student due to COVID-19 related causes. Our community has lost a wonderful young person, and when a school family experiences a tragedy, especially the loss of a young life, it deeply impacts all of us. In the days ahead, MMSD will be focused on providing our students, families and staff the support needed in order to help them process this tremendous loss.”
The high school has set up virtual meetings for Monday and Tuesday afternoons to provide support for grieving students and staff, the State Journal reported.
On Monday, another 2,534 positive COVID-19 cases were reported in the state, bringing the total to date to more than 387,000. There were also six new deaths, for a total of 3,313. The seven-day average of new cases was 4,209, the lowest it’s been in a month but still twice as high as what it was two months ago.
