13 May 2020 12:01 am
New York may have as many as 93 cases of children presenting with a new pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome likely linked to COVID-19. At least three children have died, and two more deaths are under investigation,Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
Cuomo previously confirmed the deaths of two boys in New York City and Westchester County, as well as a teenager in Suffolk County. Details on the two most recent fatalities weren’t immediately available.
A complication of the coronavirus the state had not even acknowledged a week ago, this new condition is now being seen across the country and is striking newborns and teenagers alike.
“As it turns out, these children happened to have the COVID antibodies, or be positive for COVID, but those were not the symptoms they showed when they came into the hospital system,” Gov. Cuomo said Saturday.
The New York State Dept. of Health is working in partnership with the CDC to develop national criteria for the health departments and hospital systems in the 49 other states to help them identify, track and respond to help children exhibiting symptoms, Gov. Cuomo said. Doctors in the state say children are not presenting with symptoms until 4 to 6 weeks after exposure to the virus.
“This is every parent’s nightmare, right?” Cuomo said, adding that the state is investigating additional child deaths and will conduct further studies to better understand the illness.
New Jersey was said to be investigating eight possible cases of the illness in the state, though they were not yet confirmed. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday there were three cases at Yale New Haven Hospital.
(NBC.New York)