Three children have died from an inflammatory disease that might be linked to the CCP Virus in New York, according to Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) during a CCP Virus press conference on Saturday, May 9.
Initially, children were believed to be at low-risk for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, but the news of this development has added to the state’s worries that this might not be the case, and perhaps children are now at risk, according to the press conference.
During the press conference, Cuomo stated that as of Saturday, there have been 73 cases of the disease that medical officials currently think may be related to the CCP Virus. The symptoms were described to be similar to that of the Kawasaki disease and that of the toxic shock-like syndrome.
“This is the last thing we need at this time,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo stated during the press conference that this disease has been found mostly in toddlers and children that are of elementary school age.
Cuomo stated that three children in New York have died, with USA Today reporting that one of the children who died was a five-year-old boy from New York City. The news outlet also reported that the death of one child was also reported in Westchester County on Friday, along with 11 children who were hospitalized.
According to Cuomo, “these children happen to have the COVID antibodies or be positive for COVID. But those were not the symptoms they showed when they came in to the hospital system.”
According to Cuomo, this disease has been called the Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome that’s associated with COVID-19, and New York will be launching an investigation into the disease alongside the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition, the CDC has also asked New York to provide some of the symptoms as a reference for the rest of the nation so that the other hospitals in the United States will know what to look for if required.
“At the request of the CDC, New York is helping to develop the national criteria for identifying and responding to this syndrome,” the press conference indicated.
“The [New York State] Department of Health is also partnering with the [New York] Genome Center and the Rockefeller University to conduct a genome and RNA sequencing study to better understand the disease and the possible genetic basis for this syndrome,” as indicated by the press conference.
Cuomo said that New York will share any new information it finds regarding the disease with the rest of the country as well as the public.
“We still have a lot to learn about this virus, and every day is an eye-opening situation, but rest assured, the department of health is doing everything that they can do,” Cuomo said.
