HARTFORD, CT — On April 1, Gov. Ned Lamont shared the news that a 6-week-old baby from the Hartford area died from the new coronavirus. When Lamont made the announcement he said the baby is believed to be the youngest coronavirus victim in the country.
“This is absolutely heartbreaking,” Lamont said at a news conference on April 1. “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.”
After Lamont’s comments, state officials said they needed to confirm whether the baby died from the virus or possibly something else. And at 5 p.m. Friday, James Gill, M.D., Chief Medical Examiner, released a brief statement to the news media.
In the statement, Gill said that while the baby did have the coronavirus, the infant died of “Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy.”
Here is Gill’s full statement he issued Friday evening. “The cause of death of the 6-1/2 week infant who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, has been completed. The death has been certified as: Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (unsafe sleep in bassinette with soft bedding, novel coronavirus (covid-19) respiratory infection).
“Infants may die from unexplained causes (e.g., SIDS) or from compromised sleeping conditions. Therefore, when there is no definitive cause of death at autopsy, these deaths are typically certified as “Undetermined” or “Sudden Unexpected/Unexplained Death in Infancy.” When there are intrinsic and/or extrinsic risk factors in such a death, the cause is certified as above and the risk factors are listed parenthetically.”
“Lung tissue was sent to the CDC for additional testing and they confirmed the COVID-19 infection. There currently is limited medical information on how COVID-19 infection affects infants. Therefore, the contributory role of COVID-19 infection remains unclear as the typical microscopic lung findings currently described in adult COVID-19 infections were not seen,” Gill concluded.
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