NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / World

Covid 19 coronavirus: Children are falling ill with a baffling ailment related to Covid-19

By Joseph Goldstein and Pam Belluck
New York Times·
6 May, 2020 01:58 AM8 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

No children are known to have died so far, but several have ended up in intensive care with mysterious symptoms that include enlarged coronary arteries.

One child, 8 years old, arrived at a Long Island, New York, hospital near death last week. His brother, a Boy Scout, had begun performing chest compressions before the ambulance crew arrived.

In the past two days alone, the hospital, Cohen Children's Medical Center, has admitted five critically ill patients — ages 4 to 12 — with an unusual sickness that appears to be somehow linked to Covid-19, the illness caused by coronavirus. In total, about 25 similarly ill children have been admitted there in recent weeks with symptoms ranging from reddened tongues to enlarged coronary arteries.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, most infected children have not developed serious respiratory failure of the kind that has afflicted adults. But in recent weeks, a mysterious new syndrome has cropped up among children in Long Island, New York City and other hot spots around the country, in an indication that the risk to children may be greater than anticipated.

READ MORE:
• Covid-19 coronavirus: Two new cases, one death in last 24 hours - Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield update
• Premium - Covid 19 coronavirus: Derek Cheng - The Covid data problem hindering Jacinda Ardern's big call on Monday
• Covid 19 coronavirus: Antibody that blocks infection discovered
• Covid 19 coronavirus: UK deaths overtake Italy, cases spike in Russia

Keep up to date with the day's biggest stories

Sign up to our daily curated newsletter for the day's top stories straight to your inbox.
Please email me competitions, offers and other updates. You can stop these at any time.
By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to NZME’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The number of children in the United States showing signs of this new syndrome — which first was detected in Europe last month — is still small. None is known to have died, and many have responded well to treatment.

No solid data yet exists about how many children in the United States have fallen ill with what doctors are calling "paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome."

"This is really only a disease that has been clear for two weeks now, so there is so much we're trying to learn about this," the chief of paediatric critical care at Cohen Children's, Dr. James Schneider, said in an interview Tuesday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Doctors say this condition does not seem to be driven by the virus attacking the lungs, a hallmark of coronavirus infection in adults.

While some of the children with this condition do end up with respiratory problems and a few have needed to be on ventilators, "it seems to be less a lung-specific disease," said Dr. Steven Kernie, chief of paediatric critical care medicine at Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, which has treated between 10 and 20 children with the condition, ranging from infants to older teenagers.

Discover more

World

The Covid-19 riddle: Why does it wallop some places and spare others?

03 May 08:32 PM
World

Coronavirus in the US: An unrelenting crush of cases and deaths

05 May 08:11 PM
World

New studies add to evidence children may transmit coronavirus

05 May 09:30 PM
Lifestyle

How this wedding venue will handle level 2

08 May 05:00 PM

He said many of their symptoms — from rashes to redness of eyes to blood circulation problems — appear to be rooted in an "overall inflammatory response."

In some patients the syndrome seems similar to a rare childhood illness called Kawasaki disease, which can lead to inflammation of the blood vessels, especially the coronary arteries.

The symptoms of Kawasaki disease often start with a fever and a rash, but when undiagnosed and untreated, the illness can lead to serious heart conditions, such as coronary aneurysms. The disease, which generally afflicts patients 6 months to about 6 years old, is considered rare in the United States.

But Kernie said it was important to distinguish between this coronavirus-related condition and Kawasaki disease.

TO READ THE HERALD'S FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE CLICK HERE

While some of the symptoms are similar, Kernie said — including fever, abdominal pain and sometimes a raised rash — there appear to be differences in how the coronavirus-related condition affects the heart.

While shock is a rare complication of Kawasaki disease, in the recent wave of coronavirus-related cases, he said, many of the children are in toxic shock with very low blood pressure and an inability of the blood to effectively circulate oxygen and nutrients to the body's organs.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On Monday night, the New York City Health Department issued a bulletin, asking doctors to report any cases of the syndrome. The bulletin said health authorities in the city knew of 15 such cases, involving patients age 2 to 15, who have been in intensive care units since April 17.

But interviews with doctors in New York City and on Long Island suggest that at least 50 children have been treated for the syndrome, not all in intensive care.

"I would say so far we have seen 13 patients," Dr. Nadine Choueiter of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx said of the children treated for the syndrome at just her hospital.

Still, doctors were reluctant to speculate how widespread it might be across the city. "That is the question we are constantly thinking about, and I don't think we know the answer," Choueiter said.

In Richmond Hill, Queens, Jayden Hardowar, 8, initially had only a mild fever, starting April 23, his father, Roup Hardowar, said.

But several days later, Jayden started to grow very weak and listless. On April 29, he was lying in bed watching a Pokemon TV episode. "Mommy," he cried out, before he stopped breathing. His face started turning purple. His 15-year-old brother, a Boy Scout, began performing chest compressions, stopping only when the ambulance arrived, his father said.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

At Cohen's Hospital, in New Hyde Park, Jayden was put on a mechanical ventilator for three days before he began to improve. Although Jayden tested negative for the coronavirus, he tested positive for antibodies, suggesting he might have been infected with the virus in recent weeks or months, his father said.

In recent days, Jayden has begun to open his eyes and smile or cry at his parents during video chats arranged by a nurse. "Last night he said, 'I love you, Mommy,' his father recounted Tuesday.

Jayden is one of 11 children in the intensive care unit at Cohen Children's deemed to have the syndrome, doctors there said.

Similar cases have appeared elsewhere in the country, too.

Juliet Daly, a healthy 12-year-old from Covington, Louisiana, woke up April 3 with such sharp pains in her stomach that she had trouble moving. "I spent one hour in bed trying, attempting to get up, and I spent half an hour going down the stairs," Juliet said in an interview Tuesday.

Over the weekend, she had a fever, and, she said, "I couldn't eat, and I couldn't drink because I vomited everything up." By Monday, "my arms were cold and my lips were blue," she said.

She was so lethargic that "she kind of fell asleep in the bath," said her father, Sean Daly.

The family took Juliet to a nearby hospital, where they were told that she was experiencing an acute form of heart inflammation called fulminant myocarditis. Her heart rate was very low, and her heart was failing to pump blood.

The hospital decided to put Juliet on a ventilator and airlifted her to a medical center in New Orleans, about 65km south. During the intubation procedure, her heart stopped, and "she went into arrest for a little under two minutes," Daly said. Later, on the helicopter, her heart stopped again, and she needed to be revived by CPR, he said.

After nine days in the hospital, she returned home to her parents and two brothers. "I was able to walk around, but I was still wobbly," she said. Now, Juliet, who likes to bike and do artwork, is feeling healthy.

Doctors in New York have noted that cases of the new syndrome began to appear a month or so after a surge of Covid-19 in the region. That timing suggests "it's a post-infectious immune response to this," said Dr. Leonard Krilov, chairman of pediatrics at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, New York.

In some cases, the treatment for children with the new syndrome is straightforward and quick. Krilov recently treated a 4-year-old boy whose family had previously fallen ill with Covid-19. Weeks later, the boy had a high fever, a rash and kidney trouble. He was given one of the standard treatments for Kawasaki disease: intravenous immunoglobulin, a serum harvested from donated blood. Within a day his fever fell and kidneys returned to normal, Krilov said.

Early research suggests that children are significantly less likely to become seriously ill with Covid-19 than adults. In New York City there have been 13,724 deaths of laboratory-confirmed Covid patients. Six have been 17 years old or younger, and all had underlying health conditions, according to city data.

Doctors say that even though there is growing evidence that some healthy children are falling gravely ill with this new syndrome, they are still at far less risk from Covid-19 than adults.

"It's just a different disease in adults," said Dr. Jennifer Lighter, a paediatric infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Medical Center, who treated one paediatric patient with the new syndrome last week.

Covid-19 in NZ — 18th December
2110
10
new
Total confirmed and probable cases
51
⬆︎8
Active cases
0
In Hospital
0
In ICU
2034
⬆︎2
Recovered
25
Deaths
427
⬆︎10
Border cases


Written by: Joseph Goldstein and Pam Belluck
© 2020 THE NEW YORK TIMES

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from World

World

'Grateful': Rescued German backpacker details Australian bush ordeal, miraculous survival

World

Cambodia to implement military conscription amid Thailand tensions

World

Trump says US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

Newcastle Knights star reportedly considering shock switch to rugby union
Sport

Newcastle Knights star reportedly considering shock switch to rugby union

'Grateful': Rescued German backpacker details Australian bush ordeal, miraculous survival
World

'Grateful': Rescued German backpacker details Australian bush ordeal, miraculous survival

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap
New Zealand

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap

Auckland ambulance patients being diverted to non-hospital clinics
New Zealand

Auckland ambulance patients being diverted to non-hospital clinics

Cambodia to implement military conscription amid Thailand tensions
World

Cambodia to implement military conscription amid Thailand tensions

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail
New Zealand

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail



Latest from World

'Grateful': Rescued German backpacker details Australian bush ordeal, miraculous survival
World

'Grateful': Rescued German backpacker details Australian bush ordeal, miraculous survival

Carolina Wilga survived 12 days in a confused state in remote bushland after a crash.

14 Jul 08:44 AM
Cambodia to implement military conscription amid Thailand tensions
World

Cambodia to implement military conscription amid Thailand tensions

14 Jul 07:05 AM
Trump says US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine
World

Trump says US will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine

14 Jul 04:56 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search