A 15-year-old boy who was hospitalised with pneumococcal meningitis has died after also testing positive for COVID-19.
Osama Suduh, 15, was admitted to a Sydney hospital on Sunday after contracting pneumococcal meningitis, a life-threatening disease that causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
It was revealed the 15-year-old had also tested positive for COVID-19, but it remains unclear whether he contracted the virus before or after developing meningitis.
The death has been confirmed by the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick, where Osama was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.
The hospital said while the teenager was COVID-positive, it was not the cause of his death.
"What an incredible tragedy it was for that young man to die last night," Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce told Sunrise on Monday.
It's understood the 15-year-old, who died overnight, is the youngest Australian to die with COVID-19.
According to local media, Osama was placed on life support after his health deteriorated rapidly on Sunday. It's understood the meningococcal infection was compounded by the impacts of coronavirus, which has been sweeping the stricken state of New South Wales.
Prior to Osama's death, New South Wales' chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, confirmed the teenager was admitted to hospital due to pneumococcal meningitis, but was diagnosed with COVID-19.
"This has been cleared by his family. I can confirm there is someone admitted to hospital that is 15 and the cause of their admission, while they are COVID-positive, is related to another health condition," Dr Chant said in an earlier statement to local media.
"The family has agreed that we can indicate that he has pneumococcal meningitis."
Before his death, the south-west Sydney boy and his family were inundated with an outpouring of support on social media, with The AM Show's Australian correspondent, Jason Morrison, saying the news served as a "real jolt" to the community.
"This is a real jolt to the system because I don't think we've seen a case as young as this, but they exist, they are out there."
One plea for support was shared on the popular Facebook page 'Request Dua', which refers to a prayer of invocation, supplication, help or assistance from God - regarded as an act of worship among Muslims.
"Please, I'm urging you all to make sincere Dua for our young brother Osama, 15 years old, who's currently on life support," the post reads.
"This is every parent's worst nightmare. Ya Allah help this family and all who know and love Osama. Remove this anguish and pain with calmness and ease."
Officials in the state are grappling to control a particularly aggressive outbreak of COVID-19, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant. A staggering 415 new cases of the virus were reported on Sunday, as well as four deaths.
The COVID-stricken state of New South Wales has yet to extend its vaccination campaign to its population of under-16s. Osama had not been immunised against COVID-19, but was up-to-date with his routine childhood vaccinations, according to reports.
Speaking to The AM Show prior to Osama's death, Morrison said the prospect of a full recovery was not looking hopeful for the gravely ill teen.
"[He has] significant underlying health problems, which don't give him a particularly good outlook. He's already dealing with a meningococcal infection… he's on life support, it's not looking good," Morrison said.
"This is unfortunately a pattern that's emerging… There are lots of people who are on life support, or are heading that way, in hospital.
"It's reality. I guess when you've got so many cases in the community, so many infection points, and you've got intensive care starting to fill with people dealing with COVID - whether it be directly or because of other illnesses - you're going to have cases like this."
