Two young children and a teenager have died in New York state from possible complications from COVID-19. These complications involve swelling of blood vessels and heart problems, State Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.
At least 73 children in New York have been diagnosed with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease – a rare inflammatory disease in children – and toxic shock syndrome. Most of them are toddlers and elementary-age children.
Governor Cuomo announced two more child deaths on Saturday, a day after news of the death of a 5-year-old boy in a New York City hospital. The two new young victims are a 7-year-old from Westchester County and a teenager from Suffolk County on Long Island.
Andrew Cuomo said the children tested positive for COVID-19 but did not show common symptoms of the virus at the time of their hospitalization.
“This is the last thing we need right now, with everything going on, with all the anxiety we have, now is for parents to have to worry about whether their youngster has been infected or not. Andrew Cuomo said during his daily lecture.
At least 3,000 American children are diagnosed with Kawasaki disease each year. It is more common in children under 6 and in boys.
Symptoms include a prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing.
The Canadian Pediatric Society is interested in inflammatory syndrome.
The organization recently said it plans to issue a directive to pediatricians, possibly early next week, about symptoms similar to those of Kawasaki syndrome, even though no link to COVID-19 has been established. so far.
Important research is underway with the Canadian Pediatric Surveillance Program to determine how many children are severely affected by COVID-19 and in what way. A spokeswoman said this could include cases that are linked to Kawasaki syndrome, the leading cause of heart disease in children.
A pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal said that COVID-19 could be the cause of more than a dozen cases associated with Kawasaki syndrome in the establishment.
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