The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. is climbing as Los Angeles reports what could be the first virus related death under the age of 18 in the country.

County health officials on Tuesday said the minor's death was linked to the virus. Hours later, however, they walked the statement back and said the case will have to be evaluated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Though early tests indicated a positive result for COVID-19, the case is complex and there may be an alternate explanation for this fatality," the county's Department of Public Health said in a statement.

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the boy, a 17-year-old from the city of Lancaster, did not have any preexisting medical conditions.

Health officials warned that the virus does not discriminate by age.

Preliminary data from the CDC shows that among a sample of 508 patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the U.S., 38% were between 20 and 54 years old.

The total number of U.S. cases has surpassed 55,000 with more than 800 deaths, a rapid increase that comes after a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization warned earlier this week that the U.S. has the potential to overtake Europe as the new epicenter of the pandemic.

New York is considered to be the area hardest hit by the virus in the U.S., with more than 25,000 cases. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he expects the peak of the outbreak to be 14-21 days away.

That timeline includes President Donald Trump's new goal of getting "the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter."

During a Tuesday briefing with the White House coronavirus task force, Trump said it was his idea, not that of medical experts, to suggest April 12.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that some parts of the country might be OK by Easter while others might not. He suggested that restrictions could be eased to different degrees in different places.

"You can look at a date but you've got to be very flexible," Fauci said.

The task force said Tuesday that 60% of new U.S. cases are coming from New York. They asked that anyone who is leaving the metro area self-isolate for 14 days as a precaution – a request similar to an executive order Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued on Tuesday.