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Gov. Cuomo discusses antibody testing and warns about coronavirus-related illness in children in New York State

Cuomo focused on the inflammatory illness the state believes is impacting children, antibody testing and trends, as well as testing for communities hit hardest.

NEW YORK — Governor Andrew Cuomo provided an update on Saturday regarding coronavirus in New York State. Cuomo focused on the inflammatory illness the state believes is impacting children, antibody testing and trends, as well as testing for communities hit hardest by healthcare disparities in New York City.

Cuomo says hospitalization, intubation rate, and the number of new cases each day have dropped.

The governor described an illness involving the inflammation of blood vessels in children. This illness impacts children, mainly toddlers to elementary school age, and has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome.

Seventy-three cases of this illness in children are now being studied, has this illness has taken the lives of 3 children in New York State. There are no known cases in Western New York. 

The Centers for Disease Control has asked New York State to help identify and develop criteria for this illness.

The children had the infection or the antibodies but did not show the typical signs of COVID-19.

The New York State Department of Health is working with the NY Genome Center and Rockefeller University to conduct a genome and RNA sequencing study. This will help the state better understand this disease and the possible genetic basis of this syndrome.

Cuomo says the state has conducted the largest antibody study in the country, with 15,000 people tested. 

This included antibody test of 1,300 transit workers, which showed 14.2 percent of these workers had antibodies for COVID-19, meaning that they had been exposed to the virus.

Front line workers in healthcare have not experienced a higher rate of infection compared to the average population, likely due to proper personal protective equipment, Cuomo said. 

Cuomo also addressed the need to focus resources on communities most impacted by coronavirus. Thus far the state has increased testing in low-income communities, brought testing into public housing in New York City, and delivered one million cloth masks and 10,000 gallons of hand sanitizer to public housing in New York City.

Now, Cuomo says, they will partner with Northwell Health to open 22 temporary testing sites in churches throughout the New York City area.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, of the New York 8th District, joined Cuomo for the conference virtually to discuss the impact these churches will have on communities. Jeffries emphasized the importance of these churches supporting their communities through this testing.

"This isn't over for any of us, until it's over for all of us," Jeffries said of the pandemic.

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