Michigan Chief Medical officer says 2-month-old died from COVID-19

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - During Wednesday's COVID-19 from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, and other leaders in the state, Dr. Khaldun announced a 2-month-old had died from the virus.

Dr. Khaldun made the announcement after discussing Michigan's case rate throughout the different regions and urging people to maintain social distance, wash hands, and wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As some students return to in-person learning in schools, Dr. Khaldun reminds everyone that children are not immune to the virus and said that she was sad to hear a 2-month-old had died from the virus. 

"Studies show that while children are less likely to get severely ill from COVID-19, they still can and they can also pass it on to others, who are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19," Dr. Khaldun said.

Michigan reports 680 new COVID-19 cases, 11 new deaths on Wednesday

She did not say where the infant died but offered her condolences to the child's parents and family.

Dr. Khaldun discussed Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which a virus associated with COVID-19, saying to date, 16 children have died from MIS-C. 

Dr. Khaldun also announced that Michigan's cases per million are at 57 cases per million throughout the entire state with a positivity rate of 3.7%.

The Detroit and Saginaw regions are both declining with 40 cases per million. Traverse City is at 31 cases per million with 3% positive.

Tracking Michigan's coronavirus outbreaks, cases in schools and universities

Meanwhile, Kalamazoo and Jackson both are seeing 40 cases per million while Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Upper Peninsula regions are all seeing 70 cases per million. She says these increases are due to outbreaks associated with colleges and universities.

Additionally, Dr. Khaldun reported that the state is averaging fewer than 10 deaths per day and that more than 85,500 have recovered from the virus.

However, that does not mean they are not experiencing long-term effects, saying some people who survive have to have a lung transplant, kidney transplant, or have an enlarged heart after surviving the virus.