A 6 and a half week old Hartford baby whose death was reported to be related to the coronavirus was infected with the virus, but the cause of death was determined to be Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood (SIDS), Office of the Chief Medical Officer coroner (OCME) confirmed on Friday.
Babies sometimes die from unexplained causes or unsafe sleep conditions. When there is no definitive cause of death, these deaths are generally considered “undetermined” or “Sudden unexpected / unexplained death in childhood,” according to the OCME.
Authorities confirmed that the baby was infected with COVID-19 by sending lung tissue to CDC. It is currently unclear how the virus can affect babies, and therefore it is unclear how COVID-19 infection may have contributed to the death of the baby, if at all.
In April, Governor Ned Lamont announced that the girl was the youngest person whose death was related to the coronavirus. As of Friday, 4,396 people have died from the coronavirus in Connecticut.
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