5-year-old dies of "mysterious disease" and coronavirus complications in New York

A five-year old boy has died due to complications caused by a mysterious disease related to the coronavirus in New York, officials said on Friday.

In his daily press briefing, Governor Andrew Cuomo said there have been 73 reported cases in New York of children getting severely ill with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome.

Kawasaki disease causes inflammation of blood vessels. Toxic shock-like syndrome is a rare, life-threatening complication of certain bacterial infections.

"On Thursday, a five-year-old boy passed away from these complications, believed to be caused by COVID-19," the governor said, adding the Department of Health is investigating the matter.

Children in New York, some of whom had the coronavirus, have recently been hospitalised with the mysterious inflammatory syndrome, with doctors not yet fully aware of the spectrum of the disease.

The New York City Health Department said children between aged 2 years and 15 years had been hospitalised from April 17 to May 1 with Kawasaki disease or symptoms of toxic shock.

While the "full spectrum of disease is not yet known, the department said patients with this syndrome who have been admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) have required cardiac and/or respiratory support. Only severe cases may have been recognised at this time," the department said.

The children reported with fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, where the child was being treated, did not release any further information.

"While it is concerning that children are affected, we must emphasise that based on what we know thus far, it appears to be a very rare condition," said Lucia Lee, a spokeswoman for the Mount Sinai Health System, in a report in The New York Times.