Newborn baby in Louisiana dies, health officials say cause of death was COVID-19

A newborn baby in Louisiana has died, and health officials say the cause of death was COVID-19.

The baby was born at 22 weeks gestation after its mother went into preterm labor, NBC News reported.

East Baton Rouge Parish coroner William Clark told NBC News that the mother had tested positive for the coronavirus and suffered from a high fever and shortness of breath.

"She went into preterm labor and ultimately delivered the baby prematurely," Clark said. "The baby, because of the extreme prematurity, did not survive. We all agree that this would be considered a COVID-19 related death because of the positive nature of the mother in this scenario," he said. "Had the mother not been COVID-19 positive, needed ventilatory support, didn't have shortness of breath, and the hypoxia that's associated with the virus, she likely would not have gone into preterm labor, and there would have been a different outcome."

The Baton Rouge Advocate reported that the baby's test results are pending.