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Sen. Cornyn clarifies misleading statements on young people and COVID-19

The Texas senator stated that no one under the age of 20 has died and that we don't know if children can get and transmit the virus.

DALLAS — Sen. John Cornyn's office has clarified some misleading statements regarding coronavirus the senator said in an interview with NBC 5 in Dallas on Thursday.

When asked about the safety of Texas students and teachers returning to campuses this fall, Sen. Cornyn (R-Texas) said, “No one under the age of 20 has died of the coronavirus. We still don’t know whether children can get it and transmit it to others.”

However, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, more than 1,700 Texans between the ages of less than one year old and 19 have contracted COVID-19.

Credit: Texas Department of State Health Services

Additionally, it was reported in April that a Dallas-area 17-year-old died due to complications from the virus

RELATED: Dallas-area high schooler died from COVID-19 complications, school officials say

And according to Texas Health and Human Services, as of July 9, there have been 1,799 reported cases of COVID-19 at child care operations in the state. Of those, 592 cases were children.

NBC 5 reported that Cornyn's office later provided more information on his statement, saying that “while he could have been more precise with his language, Sen. Cornyn was referring to this tweet,” which discusses risk levels among children from former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb.

In the tweet, Gottlieb said that data shows children are less likely to become infected and to transmit infection.

"Sen. Cornyn was not questioning whether children can catch the virus, of course they can," a spokesperson for Sen. Cornyn said. "He was questioning the likelihood that children can catch it and then transmit it, which Dr. Gottlieb has also expressed."

RELATED: Can kids get and transmit coronavirus?

According to NBC 5, Cornyn's office reported that the senator was referring to young children in his comment, not teenagers or young adults. The office also reportedly said they had not seen the Texas Department of State Health Services data that shows more than 500 patients were over the age of 10.

“Cornyn’s dangerous misinformation jeopardized the health and safety of Texas schoolchildren, their teachers, and their families in a reckless effort to excuse Donald Trump’s demand that schools reopen," said Billy Begala with the Texas Democratic Party. “Texans want a senator who values their safety over all else. Voters are fed up with John Cornyn’s misdirections, lies and excuses. Enough is enough.”

RELATED: COVID-19 surges past 1,700 cases in Texas child care facilities

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