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Michigan health officials: Baby died from birth defect, not COVID-19

Autopsy report cites gastroschisis as primary cause of death

According to an autopsy report released Friday, a 2-month-old baby thought to have died from coronavirus actually died of complications from a birth defect.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner said the baby, from the Upper Peninsula, was born with gastroschisis -- a condition where his intestines are located outside the body. The baby tested positive for COVID-19 a few days before his death and hospital staff reported the virus had contributed to his passing.

Sept. 18, 2020: Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 115,387; Death toll now at 6,638

The final autopsy report lists gastroschisis as the immediate cause of death.

Officials from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that a 2-month-old baby in Michigan had died from COVID-19.

When reached for a comment, a spokesperson said “We remain unable to provide any additional details about the 2-month-old who was mentioned at the press conference -- and that includes being unable to confirm or deny that any specific baby is the baby that was referenced.”

On Friday, MDHHS released a statement explaining its standards for deaths linked to COVID-19:

"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."


About the Authors
Jason Colthorp headshot

Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

Dane Kelly headshot

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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