New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday called attention to the new name of a COVID-19-related illness in children.
Now known as Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that the illness does have a link to COVID-19, de Blasio said.
As of Monday, New York City has had 145 reports using the initial definition — Pediatric Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome. Of those cases, 67 tested positive for the coronavirus or antibodies, and one young person has died, the mayor said.
New York City officials plan to have an updated number of cases under the MIS-C definition later this week, the mayor said.
New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is reviewing reported cases under the CDC’s most recent guidelines, the mayor said.
De Blasio said common symptoms include: persistent fever, irritability or sluggishness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, conjunctivitis, enlarged lymph node on one side of the neck, red cracked lips or red tongue, swollen hands and feet.
Parents should call their doctor immediately if their child has symptoms, the mayor said.
As precautionary measures, families should continue to follow good hygiene, wear face coverings and practice social distancing, the mayor said.
Overall, Monday marked a “mixed” day for New York City’s three tracking progress indicators, de Blasio said.
On May 16, 48 people were admitted to city hospitals for suspected COVID-19 — down from 77 admissions on May 15.
However, there were 475 patients in city ICUs on May 16, up from 469 ICU patients on May 15.
The percentage of people tested citywide who were positive was unchanged, staying at 11% on May 15 and May 16.
