During a press conference Wednesday, Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, relayed some tragic news: A 2-month-old baby had died after suffering complications from the novel coronavirus. Although the child was not named, he or she is reportedly the youngest coronavirus fatality in the state on record.
The baby reportedly died from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).
The newly discovered condition, which is believed to be triggered by COVID-19, causes parts of the body to become inflamed — including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children with MIS-C may experience a fever and other symptoms, such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. To date, some 800 children around the US have been diagnosed with the illness, though it was first identified after several cases popped up in the UK.
The infant's death is yet another reminder of how serious the coronavirus can be.
"Studies show that while children are less likely to get severely ill from COVID-19, they still can," Khaldun said Wednesday, according to the Detroit News. "And they can also pass it on to others including adults who are more likely to get sick or ill from COVID-19."
This certainly differs from the narrative that's persisted for much of the pandemic so far, but according to many experts, it's important for parents to know the risks.
To date, more than 6.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and more than half a million of those have been pediatric cases.
The good news is children do tend to fare better with the coronavirus than adults.
Most have mild symptoms and others have no symptoms at all. Still, the fact that the virus often goes undetected in children could be what's quietly helping the coronavirus spread, experts fear.
One study published in JAMA Pediatrics last month found that children younger than 5 can carry up to 100 times more of the coronavirus in their nose and throats than adults. (Yes, even those with mild symptoms.) Another study conducted over several months by the CDC found that several outbreaks in Utah were caused when young children were infected at day care and then carried the virus home. In all cases, children had either mild symptoms or were asymptomatic but still infected a dozen other family members.
So far, pediatric deaths remain relatively low.
But for these children's parents, that is surely little comfort.
A total of 20 children younger than 1 had died of the virus as of September 16, according to the CDC, but there are plenty of other stories of children who have suffered for weeks and even months with the illness.
Just this week, 9-year-old Eli Lipman spoke with CNN's Chris Cuomo about his "long haul" battle with COVID-19. Lipman was first diagnosed with the virus in March, but both he and his dad have had lingering symptoms ever since.
"Kids, I'm sorry to say this, but it is a big deal," the boy warned in Monday night's episode of Cuomo Prime Time. "It will hurt. You just got to face the truth: Sometimes you're not OK."
As for MIS-C, doctors have been warning about it for months.
In May, the CDC put out a health advisory warning parents to speak to their pediatrician immediately if their children showed any signs of the condition — particularly if they had come into contact with anyone who's had COVID-19.
In addition, health officials continue to urge the public to practice safe social distancing, handwashing, and regular mask wearing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent more deaths of the weak and vulnerable. During Wednesday's press conference, Khaldun reiterated those same messages.
