PH’s youngest COVID-19 fatality is 29-day-old baby, DOH confirms

The Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that the 29-day-old baby boy from Batangas province was the youngest COVID-19 fatality in the country.

“Ang pinakabata pong pumanaw dahil sa COVID-19 ay isang 29-day-old mula sa Batangas,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire during a televised DOH briefing.

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(The youngest COVID-19  fatality is a 29-day-old baby from Batangas.)

Vergeire said the baby boy was rushed to the hospital because he had trouble breathing or experiencing shortness of breath. Doctors then diagnosed the baby has pneumonia.

“At ang kanyang ikinamatay ay late onset sepsis dulot ng severe respiratory infection,” she said.

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(He died because of late-onset sepsis due to severe respiratory infection.)

DOH cannot provide further details regarding the infant’s death because of data privacy laws, Vergerie said.

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body’s response to an infection. The body usually releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight infection. Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to these chemicals is out of balance; triggering changes that can damage multiple organ systems.

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A seven-year-old child form the Ilocos region also succumbed to the new coronavirus last week. She also passed away five days before they found out that she tested positive of the pandemic disease.

In Mindoro, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Oriental Mindoro province is a 21-month-old baby. The baby girl who is from Barangay Ilaya in Calapan City, stayed in Alabang in Metro Manila from March 5 to 12, 2020.

As of April 14, the number of confirmed cases in the country surpassed the 5,000 mark, which is 5,223. The number of fatalities meanwhile is 335, and recoveries are already 295.

COVID-19 risks on pregnant women and babies

WHO still does not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus to her fetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery. To date, the virus has not been found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.

It also said women with COVID-19 could breastfeed if they wish to do so. However, they should practice respiratory hygiene during feeding, wear a face mask, observe proper hygiene, and routinely clean and disinfect surfaces they have touched.

A COVID-19 positive mother could also hold her baby following the guidelines set by the WHO.