Whether Yassin Dabeh died from COVID-19 or died with COVID-19 will never be known for certain.
The Middlesex London Health Unit has said it is unable to release more specific information about the 19-year-old's death.
Dabeh, who worked as a contracted cleaner at Delaware long-term care home Middlesex Terrace, is the youngest person with COVID-19 to die in the London region. His death was reported along with two others on Saturday. However, the exact cause of the teen's death cannot be confirmed, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie said Monday.
"I know there are questions whether this was someone who died of COVID or died with COVID. Unfortunately, we won't get answers to that," said Mackie. "There won't be a medical investigation to be able to confirm this. This is in part because the family has chosen to proceed with the burial and there won't be an autopsy for that reason."
Mackie did confirm that Debeh developed symptoms of COVID-19 and days later went to the emergency room. He died in hospital.
Both Mackie and Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Alex Summers spoke with the coroner about the death on Sunday.
"I think we are all going to have to be satisfied with the limited information that we currently have," said Mackie.
COVID-19 deaths recorded by the health unit follow the province's criteria and include those in which the virus was the primary cause or a contributing factor. COVID-19 positive individuals who die as the result of a major trauma not related to the virus are not classified as a COVID-19 death.
"If you've got a situation where COVID could have contributed to the death then it is considered to be a COVID related death and it is reported in our death counts. If there is a situation where the individual clearly died of a cause unrelated to COVID then it can be excluded and we have had to do that in the past," said Mackie.