A couple has opened up about their heartbreak over losing their baby to Covid - despite numerous reassurances from doctors not to worry about their child's safety.
Angelina Rendon said she was repeatedly told her three-month-old baby wouldn't be affected by coronavirus, reports The Independent.
Children under the age of five are not yet able to have the vaccine and, in February, the new mum and her partner suffered the heartbreak of losing their child to the virus.
Ms Rendon told Sacramento television network KCRA3: "I don’t know how many times a doctor has told me ‘don’t worry, your baby won’t be affected by Covid’ but he was, unfortunately.
"Be careful who touches your baby. It can just start with a little kiss from somebody you know who was exposed and not shown symptoms."
Her partner added: "We took heartbreak in our family because of Covid - we lost an infant to something we had no control over.
"Our doctor said [our son] was healthy. Coronavirus didn’t build his system, it destroyed his system."
The couple now has the ashes of their son in a cabinet and say they want to make sure others are aware of the risks towards their children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association confirmed that, as of 25 November, some 6.9 million children have tested positive for Covid since the beginning of the pandemic.
Cases among children in the United States are above 100,000 for the sixteenth week in a row, making up 17% of the country's total case numbers.
Official advice remains that children are not as susceptible to the severe side effects of the disease and the AAP maintains that more research is needed on the effects of Covid on minors.
It states: "It appears that severe illness due to Covid-19 is uncommon among children.
"However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects."
