BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic claimed its youngest victim yet in Louisiana on Monday — a baby born prematurely after her mother contracted the disease and was put on a ventilator.
East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark says the pregnant woman tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized on April 1. Clark blamed the disease for causing the mother’s premature labor.
The baby was born Sunday and lived for just a day due to her extreme prematurity. Whether the baby had COVID-19 remains under investigation.
The state health department says nearly 15,000 people in Louisiana have tested positive for the virus, with about 12% hospitalized.