Suffolk Coronavirus: 1 Death, 7 Kids Hospitalized With Symptoms

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Parents are asked to stay alert to warning signs as a total of seven children are now hospitalized across Suffolk County with symptoms believed to be related to the new coronavirus — and one 18-year-old girl has reportedly died in Suffolk County.

"We now know that this virus does directly impact kids," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Tuesday. While not everything is known yet about how the virus affects children, those diagnosed have symptoms to Kawasaki disease or toxic shock symptom, he said.

As well the seven pediatric cases and one death reported across Suffolk County, kids also transmit the virus, Bellone said.

Also on Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York is now investigating about 100 cases of COVID-related illness; the inflammatory disease has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease and affects children of all ages. While cases so far have predominantly been seen in children ages five to 14, others have been found in young adults up to 21, he said.

On Friday, Cuomo said the New York State Department of Health was investigating after a 5-year-old boy from New York City reportedly died Thursday of coronavirus-related symptoms.

During his press briefing, Cuomo said when it comes to coronavirus, "There is still much we don't know."

(Courtesy Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office)

The "really painful" reality of COVID-19 in children, he said, could signal "an entirely different chapter."

Cuomo said parents should remain vigilant and seek care immediately if their child has symptoms including a prolonged fever for more than five days; difficulty feeding (in infants) or is too sick to drink fluids; severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting; change in skin color with a child becoming pale, patchy and/or blue; trouble breathing or breathing very quickly; racing heart or chest pain; a decreased amount or frequency of urine; and lethargy, irritability, or confusion.

Bellone said it is also important for children to wear face masks.

Dashboard to measure reopening metrics

Suffolk County unveiled a dashboard Monday to measure how well the area is doing toward meeting the metrics needed to reopen. So far, three metrics still need to be met, including the decline in hospital deaths, new hospitalizations, and number of contact tracers. New York State also has a dashboard that says Long Island as a region has met five of the seven necessary metrics, with only the metrics regarding a decline in hospital deaths and new hospitalizations yet to be met.

On Friday, certain businesses including landscaping, gardening, and low-impact recreational options including tennis are set to open across New York State, he said.

Key to reopening, Bellone said, is having the testing and aggressive contract training program ready. Also important, he said, is that people must continue to follow the guidance of health professionals, which has been critical in reducing the spread of the virus so hospitals were not overwhelmed.

Social distancing and the wearing of face masks will remain important, he said, so that regions can open safely and help to combat the Depression-era levels of unemployment the country is facing.

Number of new cases declines "dramatically"

As of Tuesday, Bellone said the number of positive cases countywide stands at 37,062; that number reflects an increase of 150 new cases in 24 hours but not the number of positive antibody tests.

Of the 150 new cases, Bellone said, "That number has declined dramatically over the last weeks, since the time when we were reporting 1,000 new cases a day."

Although hospitalization numbers were not available from Monday, Sunday's numbers indicated a decline by 15 to 575 hospitalizations in 24 hours, the first time the county had dipped below 600 since the end of March and "another real indication of the progress we've made," Bellone said.

Also as of Sunday, the number of patients in ICU dropped by six to 216. Hospital capacity, as of Sunday, stood at 2,973 hospital bed, with 918 available, or 70 percent; there were 619 ICU beds with 209 available, or 66 percent, Bellone said.

A total of 15 additional patients have died, bringing the total to 1,654 across Suffolk County, Bellone said.

As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases by town is as follows:

Islip: 1,855

Brookhaven: 9,021

Babylon: 6,730

Huntington: 4,933 Huntington

Smithtown: 2,368

Southampton: 902

Riverhead: 625

Southold: 396

East Hampton: 265

Shelter Island: 8

Mental health toll

Coronavirus has been "absolutely devastating" for individuals who may have been facing challenges and difficulties prior to the crisis, Bellone said, adding that mental health support is available online.

In addition, the Association of Mental Health is now offering bereavement support online for those who have lost loved ones to coronavirus; support groups are offered in a number of categories including peer-to-peer bereavement, veterans' groups and creative arts offerings. The groups begin on May 19; to sign up, click here.

Rite Aid offers free testing

Rite Aid is now providing free testing at its Shirley and Selden stores to anyone 18 and older; pre-registration is required. To pre-register, click here.

Dashboard of Hope

Suffolk County is continuing in its mission to collect positive, uplifting stories; to submit one, click here.

One story, Bellone said, involves Aryan Patel an 11th grader from Half Hollow Hills in Dix Hills. The son of a pediatrician at Stony Brook University Hospital, Patel, Bellone said, realized the need for personal protective equipment and began making face shields that he delivered to front line workers with the help of Girl Scout Troop #1421.

New event for veterans

A new Town Hall for veterans is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, featuring Suffolk County Legislator Susan Berland and former football pro Marty Lyons, known for his career with the Jets, Bellone said. Lyons has also spent years giving back to kids with terminal illnesses through the Marty Lyons Foundation, he said.