At just 8 years old, Deaurra Nealy wanted to connect with people online.
“She was always on her TikTok,” said her father, Dearick Nealy, recounting videos Deaurra posted on the social media platform and her hope of becoming an influencer.
This week, people in far-flung Florida communities were connected by sorrow when they learned the Jacksonville second-grade student had died after showing symptoms of an inflammatory syndrome tied to COVID-19.
“I’d never heard of this syndrome before she became sick,” said Nealy, 31.
Deaurra, nicknamed Aurri, had tested negative for the coronavirus, but Nealy said a subsequent test suggested she had been exposed to the virus and developed antibodies despite never showing symptoms of infection.