Cuomo Says 15 States Reporting Cases Of Child Illness Linked To COVID-19

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that 15 states now reporting child illness possibly linked to COVID-19

Originally, it was believed that children weren’t as susceptible to coronavirus as adults, but according to Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, a worrisome number of children are showing symptoms for something called “pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome” and most of the children with these symptoms are testing positive for COVID-19. In a Wednesday news briefing, Cuomo said that New York has 100 cases of children with pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome and that there are cases in 14 other states now as well.

“If your child has been exposed to someone who had COVID, even if it was several weeks ago, that is a special alert in this situation,” Cuomo said during the May 13, 2020 press conference. “Parents say ‘should I be concerned?’ You should be aware.”

According to the governor, 14 other states, as well as Washington D.C. have reported cases. Those states are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington.

This syndrome appears to affect children of all ages, as three children in New York, ages five, seven, and 18, died after showing symptoms, though Cuomo says a majority of the children were between five and 14 years old. The narrative is that these new symptoms appear to be “associated’ with COVID-19 because of New York state’s 102 identified cases, 60% have tested positive for COVID-19 and 40% tested positive for its antibodies, meaning they likely had COVID-19 some time in the recent past.

Previously, it was believed that children were largely unaffected by the coronavirus, but Cuomo surmises that it was because we may not have been looking at the correct symptoms as COVID-19 symptoms are predominantly respiratory. According to the New York State Department Of Health, the pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome has “overlap with Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome” and symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, and a skin rash. Some children have also shown changes in skin color (becoming, pale, patchy, or blue), difficulty breathing, a racing heart, as well as lethargy and irritability. Additionally, Cuomo stated in his address that the syndrome may not show up until weeks after a child has been infected with coronavirus, which is why it’s just as important to test for COVID-19 as it is to test for the antibodies.

During the Senate hearing on the administration’s coronavirus response, Dr. Fauci referenced this syndrome in response to Senator Rand Paul claiming that it is “really ridiculous” to think that kids won’t be able to go to school in the fall.

“We don’t know everything about this virus and we really better be very careful — particularly when it comes to children,” Fauci warned yesterday.

Doctors in the United Kingdom first noted cases of the syndrome last month, and the World Health Organization is also investigating the link between COVID-19 and these new symptoms.

“While we believe this illness to be rare, seek care is your child has these symptoms — especially if your child has been exposed to someone who had COVID-19,” the governor stated.