TRENTON, N.J. (WCBS 880) — New Jersey has recorded four COVID-related pediatric deaths since Christmas, state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli announced Monday.
Of the four children who died, three of them were infants and none of them had reports of significant underlying health conditions, Persichilli added.
“COVID-19 isn’t always a benign illness in children,” the health commissioner said during a briefing with Gov. Phil Murphy.
“We must remain vigilant, because as it relates to this pandemic, the virus continues to test our health care system and can cause severe consequences among children,” Persichilli added.
Persichilli went on to say that on Friday, the state received six reports of new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which is a rare complication that can develop after COVID-19 infection.
She noted that the number was the “most reports we have ever received in a single day.”
All six children remain hospitalized, Persichilli said. No other details were provided.
A total of 12 children have died in New Jersey since the start of the pandemic, and eight of them were younger than 5 and were unable to be vaccinated against the virus.
The news came as Murphy announced that overall hospitalizations have been dropping in New Jersey over the last week, but the numbers are still higher than the past two surges of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the overall rates of infection among students and staff in New Jersey schools are also coming down from their peaks.
While the trends are positive, the governor and Persichilli are continuing to push vaccinations to drive COVID-19 numbers down even further.
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