North Carolina 6-year-old dies from COVID-19 complications

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A North Carolina community is reeling after a 6-year-old died from COVID-19.

Ethan Govan was a bright, loving first grader from the Charlotte area. The virus took his life on September 19.

"He loved to have fun. He didn't let anything stop him or slow him down. He was just all around a very loving and sweet boy," his mother Sharon Huff said in an interview with WSOC.

Govan attended Stoney Creek Elementary School in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district.

"There are situations where children are being exposed that don't have the ability to fight this off and we can see from what happened last week how dangerous this virus can be," Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said.

California to require COVID-19 vaccines for children to attend public, private schools

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has students taking classes in person and requires everybody to wear face masks while indoors.

Harris said 30 percent of all COVID-19 cases are now among children. Still, she supports the area schools' COVID-19 policy--hold in-person classes and require face masks.

Harris said Govan's story is important and highlights the value of everybody getting vaccinated as soon as they are eligible and properly wearing a mask.

"It is incredibly unfortunate in our community, and we all need to be part of the solution to keep things from happening like this in the future," Harris said.

As Govan's mother prepares to bury her child, she hopes his classmates will help keep his memory alive.

"Just remember how much fun--and how much he enjoyed life--and let it live through them" she said.