A 7-week-old baby died Wednesday in Connecticut, marking one of the youngest victims to pass away after developing coronavirus.
According to NBC Connecticut, the unnamed baby, of Hartford, was taken to the hospital late last week but the medical staff was unable to revive her. A postmortem exam determined that the infant had COVID-19.
Chief medical examiner Dr. James Gill said the baby had no other known underlying medical conditions. However, more tests are needed to determine the official cause of death.
“A 6-week-old newborn from the Hartford area was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived,” Governor Ned Lamont tweeted. “Testing confirmed last night that the newborn was COVID-19 positive. This is absolutely heartbreaking. We believe this is one of the youngest lives lost anywhere due to complications relating to COVID-19.”
This is a virus that attacks our most fragile without mercy. This also stresses the importance of staying home and limiting exposure to other people. Your life and the lives of others could literally depend on it. Our prayers are with the family at this difficult time. (3/3)
— Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) April 1, 2020
Dr. Steven Choi, of Yale New Haven Hospital, told Eyewitness News 3 that although it’s not common for someone so young to die from coronavirus complications, he was skeptical of early data on the virus.
“I was a little skeptical about some of the early data coming out of China that said there were no mortalities in children and adolescents. Already, in the first month or two of the pandemic spreading to the U.S., I know there are a lot of younger, healthy young adults and children who are getting very sick.”
In Illinois last week, Governor J.B. Pritzker confirmed Saturday that a baby died from coronavirus complications.
“I know how difficult this news can be, especially about this very young child. Upon hearing it, I admit, I was immediately shaken, and it’s appropriate for any of us to grieve today,” Pritken said on Saturday.
While addressing the Connecticut infant’s death, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin warned that the virus can attack anyone, regardless of age, and the outcomes are unpredictable.
“Our heart breaks for that family,” Bronin said. “We have also seen that this disease can be tragically unpredictable and fatal to people of any age.”
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
