MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Health Department is reporting the first local case of COVID-19 involving a child.
County health officials reported Tuesday afternoon that the latest case of the novel coronavirus is also the county’s first pediatric case. They did not indicate the specific age of the child.
With the new case, there are now 44 confirmed cases in the county, with eighth of them being active and 32 being reported as recovered. Four deaths have also been reported.
Meanwhile, a total of 131 cases are under quarantine and isolation orders by the public health director and being monitored and a total of 1451 negative test results have been reported to date.
On the same day the first pediatric case of COVID-19 was reported for Chautauqua County, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he is directing hospitals across the state to prioritize COVID-19 testing for children who are displaying symptoms similar to an atypical Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome.
The governor said the State is now investigating approximately 100 reported cases where children are experiencing these symptoms possibly due to COVID-19.
Governor Andrew Cuomo holds daily Coronavirus press briefing in April (Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)
“This virus has deceived us every step of the way. We have been behind this virus from the very beginning. And it still surprises us,” the governor said. “We thought, initially, that it didn’t affect children. We’re now dealing with an issue that’s very disturbing. We have about 100 cases of a inflammatory disease in young children that seems to be created by the COVID virus. And this is something that is just starting and New York is leading the investigation of this situation.”
The governor also said that New York is leading the effort in investigating the cases and trying to determine what connection they have to the coronavirus.
“It’s an inflammation of the blood vessels and can affect the heart,” Cuomo said. “The ages of the children affected in these 100 cases is all across the board, as you can see…. So this is a truly disturbing situation and I know parents around the state and around the country are very concerned about this and they should be. If we have this issue in New York, it’s probably in other states, and probably hasn’t been diagnosed yet in other states.”
Cuomo said that in addition to working with the CDC, the State Department of Health is also partnering with the NY Genome Center and Rockefeller University to conduct a genome and RNA sequencing study to better understand COVID-related illnesses in children and the possible genetic basis of this syndrome. New York State is also notifying 49 other states across the country of emerging cases of COVID-related illness in children.
- Parents or guardians of children should seek immediate care if a child has:
- 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 Chautauqua County Health Department also offered additional guidance to local parents.
“Social distancing and everyday preventive behaviors remain important for all age groups because patients with less serious illness and those without symptoms likely play an important role in disease transmission,” the health department noted in its Tuesday COVID-19 update. “As we learn new things about the coronavirus every day, it remains important that all Chautauqua County residents continue to take steps to protect children and others from getting sick.”
The county also asks parents and guardians to teach there children some practical steps to staying healthy:
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, and wash them more frequently throughout the day;
- Avoid touching your face;
- Cover your coughs or sneezes;
- Avoid close contact with others by keeping a distance of six feet;
- Wear a cloth covering over your mouth and nose when in public and when six feet of distance cannot be maintained – everyone 2 years of age and older;
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces;
- Work from home if you can;
- If you are sick, stay home and avoid contact with others. Talk to your health care provider about your symptoms and diagnostic and treatment options, including those related to COVID-19. Talk to your health care provider BEFORE you visit a clinic or hospital emergency department.
- Only if your symptoms are severe or you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 and the 911 dispatcher will screen your call per established protocol.
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