10-Day-Old Baby Dies Of COVID-19 Even Before Getting To Hospital

KEY POINTS

A 10-day-old girl in Fiji died of COVID-19 at home
She was born without any complications to a coronavirus-positive mother
The girl was among the three reported minor deaths in Fiji between Jan. 8 and 22

A 10-day-old baby girl in Fiji was among the most recent COVID-19-related fatalities reported in the country.

The unnamed Northern Division infant, who was born without any complications to a coronavirus-positive mother, died at home before she could be brought to the hospital, Fiji's Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MOH) said in its latest pandemic report.

Postmortem revealed that the girl had tested positive for COVID-19.

The child was among the 12 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Fiji between Jan. 8 and 22.

Two more minors from the Northern Division — an 8-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy – were also part of the list of fatalities. They both had a "significant congenital medical condition," the MOH said.

The girl's condition "likely" contributed to her death, the health department said. An assessment made by medical consultants confirmed that the boy's pre-existing medical conditions contributed to his death.

The two deceased girls were not eligible for vaccination, while the boy was not vaccinated.

Only people aged 12 or older can receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Fiji.

The country has reported a total of 62,203 coronavirus cases and 791 deaths since March 2020, the most recent data provided by the MOH indicated.

Around 774 fatalities who tested positive for COVID-19 were not classified as virus-related deaths as they were determined to have died from other "serious medical conditions.”

In a similar story, an 8-week-old baby in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) died of COVID-19 last month after testing positive for the virus.

The unnamed infant from the state's Hunter Valley region died at a local hospital in December. They had no underlying health conditions before contracting COVID-19.

The case was referred to the coroner due to the "uncertainties" involved in the child's death.

Forensic pathologists worked alongside the coroner to determine if COVID-19 contributed to the death.

The youngest coronavirus-related fatality in NSW before the Hunter Valley child's death was a 3-year-old boy with a rare genetic disease. He died in January after testing positive for the virus.

Australia, overall, has reported a total of 1,816,597 COVID-19 cases and 3,4202 virus-related deaths, publicly available government data showed.