Newborn With Coronavirus Dies In US In 'Heartbreaking' Incident

The governor of Connecticut has announced that a newborn in the state who tested positive for coronavirus has died.

“It is with heartbreaking sadness today that we can confirm the first pediatric fatality in Connecticut linked to #COVID-19,” wrote Governor Ned Lamont in a Twitter statement.

“A 6-week-old newborn from the Hartford area was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived.”

The governor stated that the newborn had tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, on Tuesday night. The baby is believed to be among the youngest worldwide to have died as a result of the virus.

Lamont implored people to stay home, to limit contact with others and to consider the impact of their actions on the lives of others.

Last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported the death of an infant under 1 in Chicago who had tested positive for COVID-19. 

“There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant.  A full investigation is underway to determine the cause of death,” said IDPH Director Dr Ngozi Ezike in a statement at the time. “We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. If not to protect ourselves ... to protect those around us.”

Only a small percentage of recorded cases of COVID-19 have been in children, and it’s rare for children who contract the virus to become seriously sick. One study in China, however, found that among children who do contract the virus, babies are particularly vulnerable to developing more severe illness.

As a whole, the risk of serious illness and death is statistically higher for older people and those with preexisting health conditions.

Connecticut is one of numerous places under a stay-at-home order to contain the virus and limit its spread. Nonessential businesses and schools have been temporarily shuttered there.

Of more than 213,379 confirmed cases nationwide, there are at least 3,557 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Connecticut and 85 deaths recorded in the state, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.