Gabriella Chabot, 14, was confirmed to have passed from the flu in an email that La Reina High & Middle School sent to parents on Thursday night
A Thousand Oaks high school freshman has died after being stricken with the flu, adding to the increasing number of California flu casulties.
Gabriella Chabot, 14, was confirmed to have died in an email that La Reina High & Middle School sent to parents on Thursday night, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Her father took to Facebook to share his heartache at the lost of his daughter.
‘Today I experienced the day that no parent should,’ Gabriella’s father, Michael, posted on Facebook.
‘I lost my daughter… my angel Gabriella Chabot. We are heartbroken. She would have been 15 on 2/16/18. I love you peanut! Papi will never forget you. You will always be my angel.’
It was not confirmed if any other students had gotten infected at the private Catholic school.
‘The La Reina community shares in deep sorrow with the Chabot family upon the passing of their daughter, Gabriella,’ a statement from the school said.
‘Today I experienced the day that no parent should,’ Gabriella’s father, Michael, posted on Facebook
‘We stand ready to support them through this time in every way we can.’
The community held a vigil for 6pm on Friday.
California has been ravaged by the flu this season as Influenza A strain (H3N2) has seen an increase.
With flu season starting October 1 of last year, California Department of Public Health has reported 74 flu deaths for people under 65, up until January 13. This time last year only had 14 flu deaths reported.
It was not confirmed if any other students had gotten infected at the private Catholic school
‘The La Reina community shares in deep sorrow with the Chabot family upon the passing of their daughter, Gabriella,’ a statement from the school said
And to readjust to the increased intake of sick patients, hospitals acorss the state have had to turn other resources into waiting spaces.
Pomona Valley Hospital shared that they had to turn an auditorium into a six-bed unit to handle patient overflow.
‘We’ve had such an overwhelming number of patients that we felt that a separate room would help us with our patient flow,’ Dr. Ken Moore said.
Another health center, Loma Linda University Medical Center, had to use a tent that they normally designate for disasters.
‘We’ve actually overflowed pretty much every day so far,’ said Dr. Adrian Cotton.
‘We’ve had about 150 patients total that have gone through the tent in the past two weeks.’