23-day-old baby from Batangas succumbs to COVID-19, says mayor

MANILA, Philippines — An infant from Batangas province tested positive for the new coronavirus after he passed away, a local mayor said.

Lipa City Mayor Eric Africa said the infant from Brgy. Lodlod was only 23 days old when he died on April 5.

Africa said the test results of the newborn were released by the Department of Health after his death.

The DOH has yet to confirm the report. The agency also stopped releasing case profiles of recent fatalities since April 3.

“Please pray for the soul of their little angel,” Africa wrote on Facebook.

The infant is believed to be the youngest COVID-19 fatality from the disease that has already infected 4,076 people in the country—207 of whom have died.

Batangas reported 60 infections in the province and 12 fatalities.

Last week, a seven-year-old child from Ilocos region also died of the new coronavirus. She passed away five days before her test results came out.

The victims of the new coronavirus have been disproportionately elderly but a number of recent cases have shown that the illness can hit even young people. — Gaea Katreena Cabico