Florida mother dies from Covid-19 days after giving birth

Young woman only able to hold daughter for ‘few short minutes’ before being rushed to ICU

Kristen McMullen developed Covid-19 symptoms three weeks prior to her due date ( Melissa Syverson/ GoFundMe)

A Florida woman who gave birth while fighting coronavirus has tragically died a few days after her child was born, according to reports.

Kristen McMullen, 30, developed symptoms of the novel virus three weeks before her baby was due, her family have said.

Ms McMullen was reportedly hospitalised in Melbourne only days later and had to endure an emergency caesarean section.

After the baby was born, Ms McMullen was said to have been only able to hold her baby for a few precious moments before she was taken to an intensive care unit.

From then, the young mother could only see her baby via the internet as continued to fight the respiratory disease.

“She was able to watch on Facetime and take part in some of the baby being at home and things like that,” her aunt, Melissa Syverson, told Fox39.

However, Ms McMullen passed away on Friday, the broadcaster reported.

Family members of the young woman told the outlet that prior to her hospitalisation Ms McMullen was active and healthy.

Her aunt and uncle, James Syverson, set up a GoFundMe page to help with medical bills and other expenses for the newborn baby girl. The fundraiser has since raised $25,000 of its $100,000 goal.

“Kristen dreamed of being a mom and after several years of fighting an uphill battle, her and her husband Keith, received the good news that they were expecting,” Ms Syverson wrote on the page.

She explained that the baby’s father has been forced to take on a second job to try to cover some of their living expenses.

“There are many tragedies that happen like this every day,” the Syversons told Fox29.

“A lot of people have reached out to us saying their family member is in the same situation, but they’ve actually lost the baby – their sister or friend are fighting for their life.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that “pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill from Covid-19 compared to non-pregnant people”.

The agency stipulates that those who are pregnant or were recently pregnant can receive a Covid-19 vaccine.