13-month-old baby girl dies of covid-19 in her sleep, becoming the youngest Australian to die of the virus

A 13-month-old girl who became the youngest Australian to die of Covid-19, only just started walking and had a twin.

Dakota Nenke’s father, Ryan Nenke, 29, and mother Karly Conry, 27, say they had no idea their baby had coronavirus when they put her down to sleep at their home in North Haven, north-west Adelaide, on December 27.

Mr Nenke said her body temperature was hotter than usual, but otherwise there was ‘nothing out of the ordinary’.

‘We gave her Panadol two times that day she had her normal naps and was playing with her siblings in the afternoon and went to sleep,’ he said. 

But by the following morning, Dakota was dead.

Dakota’s parents were shocked when doctors told them the toddler tested positive to Covid.

Aside from that, the doctors said she had no underlying conditions and her cause of death is yet to be determined.

‘The whole family tested positive to Covid after that,’ he said, adding that they are all fully vaccinated.

He and his wife were very worried about Dakota’s twin sister Hallie and spent a day with her in hospital after her sister’s tragic death.

Hallie also tested positive to Covid-19 but has now fully recovered.

‘She’s back to herself now, and we’re all fine,’ he said.

‘Dakota had just started walking,’ he said.

‘She loved her big brother Kaylan, big sister Ella, and her twin sister Hallie so much already.’