Children wearing face masks play on their scooters during the coronavirus pandemic on April 25, 2020 in New York City. (AFP photo)

Three children in New York have died from an inflammatory disease thought to be linked to the novel coronavirus, says Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo expressed concern that his state might be entering a new phase of the virus pandemic where children are affected, while previously they had been regarded at low risk for the virus.

This is the last thing we need at this time, Cuomo said at his daily briefing in Manhattan on Saturday.

New York is up to at least 73 cases of the illness, he said, noting it seems to be similar to Kawasaki disease or toxic shock syndrome, including a persistent fever.

The three children - including a five-year old disclosed on Friday - had tested positive for COVID-19 or related antibodies, indicating a link that was still not fully understood.

We are not so sure that is the fact anymore. Toddler, elementary school children are presenting symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease or toxic shock-like syndrome, Cuomo said. It�s very possible that this has been going on for several weeks and it hasn�t been diagnosed as related to COVID.

He went on to say that state health officials along with the New York Genome Center and the Rockefeller University will look at whether there is a genetic basis for the syndrome.

They have also been asked by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop national criteria for diagnosing and curing cases.

Britain, Italy and Spain were first to report such a new condition in late April.

According to health experts, the illness appears to particularly strike children aged 2 to 6.

With each passing day, we�re learning more about this terrible virus, and this potentially new development requires even greater understanding, Dr. Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, said in a statement.

We�ll devote the resources of the department to research each potential case and share our findings with healthcare providers around the state and country.

The coronavirus has so far infected over 1,347,300 and killed more than 80,000 across the United States, according to www.worldometers.info.

SOURCE: PRESS TV