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Cuomo Says 25 U.S. States And 13 Countries Now Have Cases Of Children With Covid-Linked Syndrome
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published May 21, 2020
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Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published May 21, 2020
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Half the states in the country, including Washington D.C., and 13 other countries are now reporting cases of children coming down with an inflammatory condition that is believed to be linked to coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday.
New York has been leading the effort to study the illness known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Last week, the state Department of Health identified cases in 17 states and 7 countries. New York has discovered 157 cases statewide, an increase of 20 over the last two days.
On Thursday, New York City's health department officials said that they had found 89 pediatric patients who had met the official case definition created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Wednesday, 158 cases of suspected MIS-C had been reported to the Health Department. Of those, 26 were determined not to have met the syndrome’s criteria and 43 are still under investigation, city officials said.
The precipitous rise in cases both in New York and worldwide has alarmed Cuomo, who said he would delay making any recommendations regarding summer camps or school openings until June. In New York, three children have died from the syndrome.
"This is one of the situations where the more they look, I believe, the more they are going to find," he said during a press briefing in New York City.
He later added: "As a parent until I know how widespread this is, I wouldn't send my children to daycare."
The governor said the state would wait until June to issue guidelines to local government on school reopenings.
At the request of state health officials earlier this month, the CDC sent a team to examine the cases in New York. Following that visit, the agency issued a health advisory to state and local health officers.
In response to an inquiry, a spokesperson for the CDC this week said there was no planned follow-up and that the agency had not been asked to investigate cases in other states.
Unlike an alert, which conveys the highest level of importance, a CDC advisory provides basic information about a public health situation and it may not require any immediate action. While the CDC advisory asked healthcare providers to report cases to local and state authorities, there has not yet been a national reporting system put in place.
The World Health Organization last week put out a call to clinicians worldwide to contribute their data for research purposes.
"It is not yet clear the full spectrum of disease, and whether the geographical distribution in Europe and North America reflects a true pattern, or if the condition has simply not been recognized elsewhere," the WHO said in a briefing.
Although the condition can result in multiple organ failure, it is considered highly treatable. However, health officials have stressed that early intervention is key.
The symptoms are said to resemble toxic shock and Kawasaki-disease, which causes an inflammation of the blood vessels. The state Department of Health has published a list of criteria for the disease, which include prolonged fever, changes in skin color, abdominal pain and trouble breathing.
Tagged
coronavirus
andrew cuomo
children
New York State Department of Health
cdc
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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