The autopsy results for a baby who reportedly died from COVID-19 in July reveal the child’s age and official cause of death.
“This is a 6-weeks-old (sic) baby, and the cause of death (is confirmed to be) from the medical complications of the COVID-19 viral infection,” said Local Health Authority Dr. Srikanth Ramachandruni.
Nueces County health officials initially reported the baby had been diagnosed with COVID-19, but died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
The baby was taken to the emergency room at Driscoll Childrens Hospital on June 30 with a fever and congestion. Tests found him positive for the novel coronavirus, but doctors discharged him a few days later, after Ramachandruni said he responded well to antibiotics.
But a week later, the baby’s family called 911 saying he was unresponsive. Medical crews were not able to resuscitate him.
“Our deepest condolences go out to his family,” Ramachandruni said following his announcement of the autopsy results.
The doctor believes the results of the autopsy was delayed by more than two weeks because the medical examiner had to test tissue samples from several organs. Those tests found blood clots in the lungs, spleen, and pancreas — consistent with COVID-19 — according to the small number of references available in medical journals.
“The literature keeps changing,” he said. “The widely known fact is we see these small blood clots in the multiple blood vessels.”
Ramachandruni said the same literature shows that as few as three- to- four infants have died from COVID-19 across the country, and the fact that this baby didn’t have pre-existing conditions making him more susceptible to dying from the virus makes his case more puzzling.
Regardless of the resilience children seem to have against the coronavirus, new mother Desiree Resendez isn’t taking any chances with her 3-month-old son, who was born prematurely.
"We don’t like kissing on the face,” she said. “We don’t like really touching him on the face. If we touch him, we’ll touch his little feet. We don’t even touch his hands because he puts them in his mouth."