This archive report was first published on 9 May 2020.
Coronavirus Pandemic: New York Sees Rise in Pediatric Cases ¶
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Saturday that three young children have died of a mysterious syndrome linked to the virus.
According to Cuomo, the syndrome, which has been described as a 'pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome,' has taken the lives of three young New Yorkers. The governor emphasized that this is a new and developing situation, and the state is working with the New York Genome Center and Rockefeller University to determine the cause of the illness.
As of Saturday, more than 73 children in New York have been sickened by the rare illness, which has some similarities to Kawasaki disease. Cuomo noted that many of these children did not show respiratory symptoms commonly associated with the coronavirus when they were brought to area hospitals, but all of them tested positive either for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, or for its antibodies.
Cuomo urged parents to be vigilant in looking for symptoms such as prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, change in skin color, racing heart, and chest pain. He also emphasized that the state is still learning about the virus and its effects on children.
On a separate note, Cuomo announced 226 more deaths due to the coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to a stubborn 226. He expressed frustration with the slow decline in deaths and urged the public to continue taking precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
