New York reports 100 cases of new COVID-19-linked syndrome in children

May 13, 2020May 13, 2020 Kevin

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Calling it a “disturbing situation,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday disclosed that the state is investigating about 100 cases of a mysterious syndrome linked to COVID-19 in children.

The illness, called Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with COVID-19, shares symptoms seen in Kawasaki disease, which is a treatable illness marked by inflammation of the blood vessels. So far, at least three children have died from the syndrome.

Cuomo said Tuesday during his daily press briefing, “This is a truly disturbing situation and I know parents around the state and around the country are very concerned.”

Because of this new syndrome, Cuomo is urging parents to closely monitor their children and take note of their symptoms. Parents are advised to seek care immediately should a child come down with a fever over five days, show difficulty feeding or become too sick to drink fluids, have abdominal pain as well as diarrhea or vomiting, have trouble breathing, exhibit a racing heart or chest pain, have a decreased amount of urine, become lethargic or irritable, or have a change in skin color.

Cuomo added, “If we have this issue in New York, it’s probably in other states and probably hasn’t been diagnosed yet in other states because, again, these children don’t present the usual COVID symptoms.”

Cuomo says the ages of those who have come down with the syndrome range from infancy to 21 years old.