At least 16 states are now reporting cases of children contracting a severe inflammatory illness that could be linked to the coronavirus.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), speaking at his daily news conference on Wednesday, said he and several other state governors are investigating these cases as New York has identified more than 100 children — who may have contracted covid-19 — showing symptoms of the inflammatory disease similar to Kawasaki disease, a relatively rare condition that affects blood vessels.
Doctors typically see Kawasaki disease in children only, and its causes remain unknown.
While statistics continue to show most children who contract the virus do not face serious harm, health-care providers across the country have recently noticed a possible link between the virus and Kawasaki disease. The connection is not confirmed, though a study published Wednesday in the journal Lancet bolstered the idea.
The other states with reported cases are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington. There also have been cases reported in Washington, D.C., and five European countries.
Oregon is the latest to be added to the list on Wednesday, local news stations reported, after it saw its first confirmed case of the syndrome similar to Kawasaki disease in a girl confirmed to have covid-19.
Cuomo on Wednesday called New York “in many ways the tip of the arrow here.”
“[We are] looking at 102 cases where children who may have been infected with the COVID virus show symptoms of an inflammatory disease like Kawasaki disease, or toxic shocklike syndrome,” he said.
According to Cuomo, 60 percent of the patients have tested positive for covid-19, and 40 percent tested positive for its antibodies.
