Dr David Hepburn from Royal Gwent Hospital explains how a person can die from coronavirus. Video / Channel 4 News
A 1-day old premature baby girl has died from complications of Covid-19 after her mother, who tested positive for coronavirus, gave birth on April 1.
A week ago the Louisiana mother was admitted to hospital with Covid-19 symptoms, including shortness of breath and a fever.
She was placed on aventilator before going into pre-term labour and delivered her daughter prematurely at 22 weeks.
East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark said the baby, who died less than a day old, had not tested positive for Covid-19, but officials are considering the death Covid-19 related because of the "positive nature of the mother".
"Unfortunately her pregnancy, which she was carrying, she went into pre-term labour and ultimately delivered the baby prematurely, and in doing so, the baby, because of the extreme prematurity, did not survive," Clark said.
"The child as of now has not tested positive for Covid-19, however, the mother was, and in speaking with the state epidemiologist, we all agree, myself included and the doctors involved in the care, that this would be a Covid-19-related death because of the positive nature of the mother in this scenario.
"Had she not been Covid-19 positive, had not required ventilator support, had not had the shortness of breath and hypoxia that's associated with the virus, likely she would not have gone into pre-term labour and there would have been a different outcome," Clark said.
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He said this is the first case of its kind that he's aware of in Louisiana, but after speaking to other officials around the US, "there have been cases similar to this".
