A 2-month-old baby, who the state said died from COVID-19, had a birth defect listed as his immediate cause of death, according to a report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner.
The baby was from the UP and died Sunday at Children's Wisconsin Hospital in Milwaukee, according to Detroit News.
The defect was identified as gastroschisis, where a baby is born with intestines located outside the body.
According to the report, the baby was born at 37 weeks with the defect. On Sept. 8, after going home from a surgery, he developed vomiting and diarrhea and was diagnosed with COVID-19.
He was pronounced deceased at a hospital after developing acute respiratory symptoms. According to the report, COVID-19 caused the baby's recent issues.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released the following statement about the report:
Following national standards, MDHHS considers a death to be a COVID-19-associated death if the death is due to natural causes, there is a positive COVID-19 test, and one of the following is true:
• The death is within 30 days of onset of COVID-19.
• If the death is more than 30 days from onset, the certifying physician identifies COVID-19 as a contributing factor to death.
MDHHS relies on the judgment of treating physicians in determining whether a death is associated with COVID-19.