BATON ROUGE - Louisiana reported another pediatric death linked to the coronavirus Wednesday, its sixteenth since the onset of the pandemic last year.

The latest death was a child between the ages of 12 and 17, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. It marks the seventh death of juvenile during the state's fourth COVID surge, which began this past summer. 

"Just five days ago, our hearts were heavy as we mourned the sixth child to lose their life to COVID-19 in this surge. Here we are once more, grieving as another promising young life ends too soon," State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter said in a statement. "It's incumbent upon all of us to get the vaccine and wear a mask to protect ourselves and one another, including our children."

In total, the state reported 99 additional COVID deaths across Louisiana on Wednesday.