You are reading

82 New York City Children Have Rare Illness Tied to COVID-19

Stock: Unsplash

May 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The number of New York City children inflicted with a rare and potentially deadly illness likely tied to the coronavirus continues to rise — with 30 new cases overnight.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that 82 children have the illness doctors are calling “pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome”  — up from 52 confirmed cases yesterday and 38 confirmed Monday.

“This number has gone up consistently in recent days,” de Blasio said at City Hall.

Statewide, there are now more than 100 cases of the mysterious condition that can cause inflammation of organs, leading to organ failure. Roughly 70 percent of the children have been admitted to intensive care units, Governor Andrew Cuomo said today.

There have been cases in 14 other states and five European countries, according to Cuomo.

A 5-year-old boy in New York City died from the illness last week and there have been two other deaths elsewhere in New York State.

“A few days ago we lost a child, that’s the first time we saw a child die from this horrible syndrome and we all have to work together hoping and praying that there will not be another child lost and that we can save every child going forward,” de Blasio said.

The syndrome is similar to toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, health experts say. If left untreated the condition can permanently damage a child’s heart.

However, the illness can be successfully treated if caught early. Thus, the city is launching a multilingual public awareness campaign today to target parents.

“The sooner they get health care, the more chance that a child can be saved,” de Blasio said.

The uptick in the childhood syndrome comes as the number of COVID-19 deaths surpassed 20,000 in New York City.

Across the city, 20,316 New Yorkers have died from coronavirus — 15,233 with confirmed cases and 5,083 with probable cases — as of Tuesday evening.

In Queens, 5,769 people have died from the virus, both probable and confirmed cases, as of yesterday.

The total number of cases in New York City climbed to 185,206, with 57,178 in Queens alone also as of yesterday evening.

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Manhattan bouncer charged in New Year’s Day fatal stabbing in Elmhurst: NYPD

A Manhattan man was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal stabbing of an East Elmhurst man during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in what notably became the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Torrence Holmes, 35, of St. Nicholas Place in Hamilton Heights, was taken into custody at his home and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst on manslaughter and other charges on Saturday afternoon.

After surge of traffic violence, Queens leaders demand safer streets especially for children

Following a tragic week on Queens streets where three pedestrians — 43-year-old Natalia Garcia-Valencia, 58-year-old Elisa Bellere and 8-year-old Bayrron Palomino Arroyo — were fatally struck by unsafe drivers, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that he has allocated $1.5 million in capital funding for street safety improvements on three of the borough’s most dangerous roadways.

Richards made the announcement at 82nd Street and Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst on Monday morning, about a mile from where the 8-year-old boy was struck and killed by an impatient pickup truck driver from Flushing on Mar. 13 as he walked in the crosswalk at 31st Avenue and 101st Street with him mother and brother, who was injured.