Ontario teen died of COVID-19, father says

Disputes rumours spread on social media

The father of the 19-year-old in Ontario who had contracted COVID-19 says his son died from the virus.

Speaking through a translator, Ahmad Dabeh called rumours circulating on social media about his son’s death not being due to COVID-19 “false.”

“They were not there (at) the time of his death and they were not there to watch him struggle with COVID-19,” Dabeh told reporters at a virtual press conference Tuesday.

“(The family) just hoped that these rumours would stop. … They wish to mourn in peace.”

Ahmad Dabeh said Yassin Dabeh had visited hospital several times with coronavirus symptoms before he died last Thursday at the family home in London, Ont.

The family are Syrian refugees who moved to Canada in 2016.

“The day before he passed away he was complaining a lot about having difficulty breathing and having chest pain and soreness in his body,” Dabeh said.

Dabeh said his family discovered the unresponsive 19-year-old Thursday evening when they tried to wake him from a nap. His parents say COVID-19 was the cause of death.

The teen’s mother, father and other members of his family have tested positive for COVID-19. His mother and father, who have symptoms, were not able to attend their son’s burial Friday.

Dabeh said his son went to the hospital a couple of times since he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the second week of January complaining of chest pain and difficulty breathing. He was treated with oxygen and released, he said.

The 19-year-old was working as a cleaner for a thirdparty contractor at Middlesex Terrace, a nursing home in Delaware, outside of London.

The home has been trying to contain a COVID-19 outbreak that was declared on Dec. 23. It has killed 12 residents to date.

Dabeh said his son liked his job and never had any safety concerns about his work.

The Middlesex-london Health Unit reported the death of an unidentified teen connected to a longterm care home on Saturday. Friends and colleagues identified the teen as Dabeh.

London’s top public health official said Monday no autopsy was held and no further details of the teen’s death will be released. The teen was not considered infectious when he died.

The COVID-19 deaths reported by the health unit are fatalities where the disease was a primary cause or potential contributing factor to the death.

Positive cases whose deaths are obviously unrelated to the disease — including people who have suffered a major trauma — are not classified as COVID-19 deaths in the health unit count.