NYC 5-Year-Old Boy Dies From COVID-Linked Illness, Cuomo Says

NEW YORK CITY — A five-year-old boy who died from a rare condition in New York City may prove children are more vulnerable to the new coronavirus than health experts initially believed, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

"This is every parent's nightmare, right? That your child may actually be affected by this virus," Cuomo said. "But it's something we have to consider now."

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New York's Health Department is investigating COVID-19's effect on children after 73 potential cases of Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome were reported in the state, Cuomo said.

The majority of patients with the syndrome tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, a Health Department alert shows.

Fifteen of those kids, aged between 2 and 15, were hospitalized in New York City.

The syndrome, similar to Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome, appears days or weeks after COVID-19 and can cause fever, rash or multi-organ dysfunction, Health Department officials say.

Cuomo told parents they could no longer take solace in the knowledge that children were safe from the virus ravaging the globe.

"We took peace from the fact that children couldn't be affected," Cuomo said. "This information suggests we may want to revisit that quote-unquote fact."

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