A five-year-old girl, Skylar Herbert, has died at Beaumont Royal Oak, becoming the first child to die from COVID-19 in Michigan. Herbert was confirmed dead on Sunday night, according to her family.
“The loss of a child, at any time, under any circumstances, is a tragedy. 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,” Beaumont Health said in a statement.
The mother, a Detroit police officer and father, a Detroit firefighter sharing their grief publicly described their daughter thus: “To know her was to love her. She was a beautiful spirit. She was friendly, she was loving, she was caring, she was funny. Just a really happy 5-year-old. We just want everyone to know that she was a beautiful little girl.”
Her mother, LaVondria Herbert, was 41 years when she had Skylar. “Me having a child is a shock to everybody in the department,” LaVondria said. “Everybody knew her and wanted to see her when I had her.”
Skylar reportedly developed a rare complication that led to inflammation of her brain. She died Sunday morning at Beaumont Royal Oak.
Skylar’s father, Ebbie Herbert, said: “We have to let the world know that this virus doesn’t care what age you are, what nationality you are, what political preference you have. It’s serious. And it will devastate you.”
Skylar becomes the youngest person to die of coronavirus in Michigan. Prior to her death, the youngest person to have died from coronavirus in Michigan was 20 years.
Skylar was honoured by the Detroit Police Department with a procession of squad cars that drove past the Herbert home.
According to state officials, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan reached 32,000 as of Monday and included 2,468 deaths.
