DETROIT (WXIN) — A 5-year-old girl in Detroit died from the coronavirus on Sunday after developing a rare form of meningitis and brain swelling, Detroit News reports.
Skylar Herbert was first diagnosed with the coronavirus last month. Her parents initially took her to the pediatrician, and she was diagnosed with strep throat and sent home with medications. But Skylar had a terrible headache that wouldn’t go away, so her family took her to the emergency room. That’s when she tested positive for the coronavirus.
She was released from the hospital, but her family returned a short time later after Skylar’s dad began showing symptoms of the coronavirus. Both of her parents are first responders—her dad is a firefighter, and her mom is a police officer.
While Skylar was waiting with her mom in the car, she had a seizure.
According to Detroit News, she developed meningoencephalitis, which is a rare complication of the coronavirus. It caused her brain tissue to swell and a lesion developed on her frontal lobe, her parents said.
After spending the past few weeks at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, she died Sunday.
Beaumont Hospital released the following statement to Detroit news: “We are heartbroken that COVID-19 has taken the life of a child. We extend our deepest sympathy to Skylar’s family and all others who have lost a loved one to this virus.”
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