13 year old Emily Viegas is one of the youngest Canadians to die from COVID
A teenage girl from Brampton has reportedly died after contracting COVID-19.
The girl has been identified as Emily Victoria Viegas, 13.
A moment of silence was just held at Queen's Park in honour of Emily today.
A Facebook post from the Greater Toronto Ball Hockey League said that the girl's father, Carlos Viegas, has been a long time player and referee with the league. Their 13 year old daughter tragically passed away from Covid on April 22," the post reads, Carlos we are so sorry for your loss."
The mayors of Brampton and Mississauga tweeted their condolences late Sunday night.
On Sunday evening, Mayor Patrick Brown tweeted his condolences to Viegas' family.
"This is beyond heart wrenching. As a parent, I am lost for words. Horrifying," Brown said.
"We can never underestimate the seriousness Covid 19 and the variants."
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie also tweeted that losing someone so young to the virus is "heartbreaking."
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board confirmed on Monday the death of one of its students to the Star but did not release their identity.
"This is a loss to the entire DPCDSB community. At this time, we are focusing on supporting staff and students and respecting the privacy of the grieving family," the board said in a statement.
"Our prayers go out to the family, staff, students and all who are impacted."
Brampton continues to be the epicentre of Ontario's fight against COVID-19 with area hospitals detecting record-high positivity rates in patients and one in five people who show up at assessment centres testing positive for the virus.
The city surpassed the positivity rate of 22.4 per cent on Sunday and Peel reached an all-time high number, reporting COVID-19 400 cases a week per 100,000.
A Go-Fund-Me page has been set up by a family friend to raise support for the girl's funeral. More than $50,000 has been raised thus far.
With Star staff files
Rhythm Sachdeva is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: rsachdeva@thestar.ca