New York authorities are investigating 85 cases of illnesses related to COVID-19 in children, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a daily update on Sunday.
Two additional deaths are being investigated in connection to the cases, Cuomo told reporters.
“This does not present as a normal COVID case,” he said, adding that those cases “tend to be respiratory.”
“It’s possible that these cases were coming in and were not diagnosed as related to COVID because they don’t appear as COVID,” he said, adding that three people have died in relation the mysterious condition.
He noted that New York health authorities will report the cases to other state departments of health about their findings.
“The illness has taken the lives of three young New Yorkers,” the governor said on Saturday. “This is new. This is developing.”
“We thought children could be vehicles of transmission ... but we didn’t think children would suffer from it,” Cuomo said in announcing the child deaths, adding that the development is “really painful news.”
“We want to reassure parents—this appears to be uncommon. While Kawasaki disease can damage the heart or blood vessels, the heart problems usually go away in five or six weeks, and most children fully recover,” Newburger said.
She added, “Rarely, but sometimes, the coronary artery damage persists. Because of this, Kawasaki disease is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. Prompt treatment is critical to prevent significant heart problems.”