New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has notified the other 49 states about a mysterious inflammatory disease related to the coronavirus that has affected children. At least three have died. One of them was a Suffolk County teenager.
Cuomo says at least 85 children have fallen ill with symptoms that resemble other diseases like Kawasaki disease or toxic shock syndrome. All tested positive for COVID-19 or its antibodies, but did not show the typical symptoms.
“They're not in respiratory distress. And I think that's one of the reasons why this may be getting discovered this far into the process.”
The inflammation causes swollen blood vessels and heart problems. Symptoms include prolonged fever and severe abdominal pain.
But there’s no proof COVID-19 causes either syndrome, both of which are usually rare. About 3,000 children a year are diagnosed with Kawasaki disease.
Cuomo says state health officials have partnered with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate how COVID-19 affects children.
Meanwhile, three children in the Yale Health system in Connecticut are being monitored for the syndrome.
Governor Ned Lamont had few details on the cases, which were reported to him by Dr. Albert Ko, an epidemiologist at Yale and a member of the governor's reopening advisory taskforce.
Lamont says he believes the children are “okay.”
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