HARTFORD, Conn. — The death of a 6-week-old from Hartford has been linked to COVID-19, Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday, making the baby one of the youngest known people to die from the disease.
The baby arrived at the hospital unresponsive and tested positive for the coronavirus postmortem, officials said.
“It’s just a reminder that nobody is safe with this virus,” Lamont said.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said at an afternoon news conference that the baby was one of four people from the city who had died of COVID-19.
“Our hearts break for that family, and our prayers are with the families of all of those who have lost loved ones and all of those affected by this ongoing epidemic,” he said, his voice breaking.
Previously, the youngest Connecticut resident to die of COVID-19 had been a 35-year-old man. The vast majority of the 85 deaths in the state have been individuals over the age of 70.
After touring a mobile field hospital at Southern Connecticut State University, Lamont announced the state had 429 new confirmed COVID-19 infections in total, with 16 more deaths.
“The trend continues pretty much along the lines of what we have been planning for,” he said.
A model prepared by the University of Washington projects that as the coronavirus hits a peak in Connecticut on April 15, hospitals here will fall dramatically short on available beds.
In Connecticut, it foresees a peak of 41 single-day deaths in mid-April, before the numbers taper off during May and hit zero before the start of June. As many as 1,100 residents could perish.
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