Coronavirus US Update: 15 Children In NYC Hospitalized With Mysterious Syndrome Linked To COVID-19

Global coronavirus death toll crosses 250,000 and the complete spectrum of the disease’s symptoms remains unknown. The health authorities in New York City reported that children have developed a mysterious syndrome.

Although COVID-19 is more dangerous for older people and those with underlying health conditions, some children have also become seriously ill. Fifteen young children in the age group 2 to 15, many of whom tested COVID-19 positive have recently been hospitalized after exhibiting this mysterious syndrome which was linked to toxic shock or Kawasaki disease- that involves inflammation of the blood vessels including the coronary arteries.

Since there was no death reported in these pediatric patients, the illness has been described as a “multisystem inflammatory syndrome potentially associated with COVID-19,” mentioned the New York Times.

Ever since the syndrome started appearing in European countries which are highly affected by the coronavirus, it has received a lot of attention in recent weeks.

“There are some recent rare descriptions of children in some European countries that have had this inflammatory syndrome, which is similar to the Kawasaki syndrome, but it seems to be very rare,” the New York Times quoted Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, a World Health Organization scientist as saying.

Here’s everything we know about the mysterious illness associated with COVID-19 in children:

• Most of them had a fever
• Many of them had rashes and experienced vomiting or diarrhea
• 5 of them required mechanical ventilator support
• Most of them required blood pressure support
• It is not known yet if children in other parts of the U.S. have come down with this illness
• Monday’s bulletin which listed this unexplained syndrome is the first to warn doctors to be on the lookout for those exhibiting it

“Even though the relationship of this syndrome to Covid-19 is not yet defined, and not all of these cases have tested positive for Covid-19 by either DNA test or serology, the clinical nature of this virus is such that we are asking all providers to contact us immediately if they see patients who meet the criteria we’ve outlined,” NYTimes quoted The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot.

She also urged parents to call their doctor immediately if their children had symptoms such as fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, Conjunctivitis or inflammation of the eye, or/and swollen lymph nodes.

This mysterious syndrome in some children could be due to blood clots that might lead to a toxic-shock-like syndrome, according to Dr. Zucker, the state health commissioner.