A coroner will try to answer what impact COVID-19 had on the death of a NSW infant.
The baby's death, in December in the Hunter New England region, was confirmed on Friday.
"I have spoken with the family and the family are very keen for their privacy to be protected," NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.
"You can imagine that this is one of the most difficult times a family could ever go through and they just ask the media to respect the privacy of this family."
The fatality was referred to the coroner to determine what, if any, contribution COVID-19 had on the baby's death.
The coroner and forensic pathologists want to deliver answers to the baby's family and clinicians who treated the infant, Dr Chant said.
"Clearly, there is strong public interest in this and we are very committed to ... making known the outcome of the coronial (investigation)," she said.
"But can I just be clear, our priority will be ... that the coroner will inform the family, the family will have the time to talk to the clinicians about the implications of the findings and then we will release it publicly."
The death is the fourth known fatality linked to COVID-19 in Australia in a child aged under 10 years.
The deaths of two girls and a boy were recorded in recent months.
In November, Victoria reported the death of a child with "other serious comorbidities" while South Australia in December reported a fatality in a child aged under two.
A three-year-old NSW boy with a rare genetic disease also died in January after testing positive to the virus.
