AUSTIN (KXAN) — A child died from COVID-19 over the weekend, the first in the area since the start of the pandemic, the Austin Public Health Department said during a briefing on Tuesday.

Dr. Desmar Walkes, the Austin-Travis County health authority said that while the child was vaccinated, they had underlying health conditions.

Walkes said the child had been on a ventilator for roughly a month.

During a briefing on Tuesday, the Austin-Travis County health authority said that we’re starting to see hospitalizations and ICU admissions come down in the area for the first time in two months.

Health officials remain cautiously optimistic as school districts continue to see a rise in COVID-19 cases.

APH continues to stress that getting a COVID-19 vaccine is still the best protection against the coronavirus.

According to APH, there have been 108 children admitted to a hospital since July 1.