64 kids hospitalised in New York with disease possibly related to COVID-19

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Sixty-four children have been hospitalised across New York with a disease possibly linked to the COVID-19, the state's health department said. In an advisory issued to healthcare providers on Wednesday, the New York State Department of Health said that as of Tuesday, 64 potential cases of what it called the Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with COVID-19 have been reported in children in hospitals statewide, including New York City, reports Xinhua news agency reported.

"Thankfully most children with COVID-19 only experience mild symptoms, but in some, a dangerous inflammatory syndrome can develop," said New York State Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.

This syndrome has features that overlap with Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome, including persistent fever, abdominal symptoms, rash and even cardiovascular changes requiring intensive care.

The department asked health providers to immediately report those cases in patients who are under 21 years old, and perform a diagnostic and serological test to detect the presence of novel coronavirus or corresponding antibodies in the patient.

The advisory also said that similar cases among children have been recently reported from the UK.

"While we continue to reduce cases through social distancing, discoveries like this remind us we are still in the middle of our response to this deadly pandemic," said Zucker.

On Tuesday, New York City officials said that 15 children in the city had been hospitalized with this rare syndrome.

Over half of the children required blood pressure support and five required mechanical ventilation. No fatalities have been reported.