New Prioritized COVID-19 Testing For Children In CNY

Hospitals across CNY have been directed to prioritize testing of children for coronavirus as it could be linked to the dangerous inflammatory syndrome attacking school-aged children in New York.

The New York State Department of Health has issued and advisory about this severe inflammatory disease, called "Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with COVID-19." Healthcare providers and hospitals must test and report to the Department of Health all positive cases of the pediatric syndrome in those under 21 years of age.

There are more than 100 reported cases of New York children displaying symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, and a majority of these kids have tested positive for COVID-19. To date, a 5-year old in New York City, a 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County have died. Governor Cuomo said:

"Initially we thought COVID-19 didn't affect children, and now we're dealing with a disturbing issue where we have about 100 cases of an inflammatory disease in children that seems to be created by the virus. New York is leading the investigation of this situation and we are advising all hospitals and medical providers to prioritize diagnostic testing for any children that are displaying symptoms of this illness."

Seek immediate medical attention if your child displays the following symptoms:

• Prolonged fever (more than five days)
• Difficulty feeding (infants) or is too sick to drink fluids
• Severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting
• Change in skin color - becoming pale, patchy and/or blue
• Trouble breathing or is breathing very quickly
• Racing heart or chest pain
• Decreased amount of frequency in urine
• Lethargy, irritability or confusion

The CDC has requested the New York State help with developing national criteria for identifying and responding to COVID-related illness and Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome.

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