3 New York youths die of a syndrome possibly related to COVID-19

Two other young people died of a mysterious syndrome possibly related to the coronavirus. The New York stay-at-home order was extended until June 7, although parts of the state may relax the restrictions sooner if they show progress in taming and tracking the virus.

The latest developments in coronavirus in New York.

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MYSTERIOUS SYNDROME

Two young children and a teenager have died in New York state of a possible coronavirus complication involving inflamed blood vessels and heart problems, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.

At least 73 children in New York have been diagnosed with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory condition in children, and toxic shock syndrome. Most of them are young children and primary school children.

Cuomo announced two more deaths a day after discussing the death of a 5-year-old boy Thursday at a New York City hospital. A 7-year-old boy in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County on Long Island also died. There is no evidence that the virus causes the mysterious syndrome.

Cuomo said the children tested positive for COVID-19 or the antibodies, but did not show common symptoms of the virus when they were hospitalized.

“This is the last thing we need right now, with everything that is happening, with all the anxiety that we have, now so that parents have to worry about whether their child was infected or not,” Cuomo said in his daily briefing. . .

New York is helping to develop national criteria to identify and respond to the syndrome at the request of the Centers for Disease Control, Cuomo said.

Children elsewhere in the US USA They have also been hospitalized with the condition, which was also seen in Europe.

Doctors still believe that most children with COVID-19 develop only mild illness.

At least 3,000 American children are diagnosed with Kawasaki disease each year. It is more common in children under 6 years of age and in children.

Symptoms include prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, and shortness of breath.

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STAY AT HOME

Cuomo extended New York’s stay-at-home restrictions to June 7, although regions of the state may gradually reappear earlier if they meet a series of benchmarks.

The blockade enacted in March had already been extended until May 15. A new extension was expected given the state of the New York City region as a pandemic hot spot.

Cuomo’s new executive order conforms to its previously announced plan to allow regions of the state to begin restarting economic activity after May 15 if they demonstrate progress in domestication and monitoring of the virus, according to administration officials. Some northern areas of the state hope to start reopening later this month, though none of the state’s 10 regions met the required seven benchmarks earlier this week.

Regions wishing to gradually advance economic activity must demonstrate that COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations are declining and that there are enough hospital beds to face a sudden increase. Counties will need to increase testing and tracing, and businesses must adapt to protect workers.

Businesses will reopen in four phases, starting with construction, manufacturing, and retail with curbside pickup.

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THE NUMBERS

New York reported 226 new deaths, 20 times more than the previous day, but in line with daily tolls for the rest of the week.

More than 21,200 people in the state have died from coronavirus, although the total does not include more than 5,300 deaths in New York City that were attributed to the virus on death certificates but were not confirmed by laboratory testing.

The pressures on hospitals continue to decrease. Total hospitalizations fell to 7,776, well less than half the number at the peak of the outbreak. New COVID-19 admissions average 572 per day, compared to over 3,000 per day in early April.

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SHELTER BUSES

New York City transit officials said they will provide homeless buses to protect themselves from the extremely cold weather this weekend during the recently instituted nighttime metro closings.

The metro system has been closed from 1 to 5 a.m. since Wednesday as part of a plan related to an outbreak for daily train disinfection. City outreach workers have been persuading homeless people to leave the system for shelter during closings.

With temperatures around the freezing mark and a reported snow trail in Central Park in Manhattan, traffic officials said they would also provide a limited number of buses at end-of-line stations on Saturdays and Sundays.

Buses are not for transportation, “but they can serve as a place for people to escape the elements in the short term,” according to a prepared statement by New York City President of Transit Sarah Feinberg and President from the Local 100 Transport Workers Union, Tony Utano.

“We provide these buses only during this cold snap and hope that the city will continue to move forward and take responsibility for providing safe haven to people living on the street,” according to the statement.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority did not immediately respond to an email Saturday morning asking how many buses were provided and how many people took refuge in them.

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