NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that New York state had "come through the worst" of the coronavirus outbreak as he warned about a new and potentially deadly inflammatory condition being seen in dozens of kids.
Cuomo reported 166 new coronavirus deaths Wednesday, bringing the statewide toll to 22,011.
"These are not numbers, they are families—166 families are in pain today," the governor said.
The number of cases statewide is 338,485, with 1,430 new cases reported statewide.
The governor said health care workers and first responders in the city have a lower infection rate than the general public.
"You know what that means? That means PPE works. Masks work. Gloves work. Hand sanitizer works," he said, adding that 20% of the general population is testing positive; for health care workers it's 12%.
Cuomo said that the state is investigating 102 pediatric cases of an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19; several children in the state have died from it.
The governor said 60 percent of children with the condition tested positive for COVID-19 and that 40 percent tested positive for antibodies.
He said 71 percent of the cases resulted in ICU admission; 19 percent resulted in intubation; and 43 percent of children remained hospitalized Wednesday.
The children may have been exposed to the virus weeks before the condition appeared, Cuomo warned.
"As a parent I can tell you this is a parent's worst nightmare," Cuomo said. "We thought that children weren't especially affected by the virus. To now find out that they might be and it might be several weeks later—this is truly disturbing."
Symptoms of the condition, known as Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PMIS), include fever, abdominal pain, skin rash, difficulty breathing, racing heart, confusion and lethargy.
"The Department of Health has told hospitals in the state to prioritize COVID testing for children who come in with any of these situations," Cuomo said.
Fourteen other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, and five European countries have recorded cases of PMIS, Cuomo said.
The governor said the health department is hosting a statewide webinar Thursday for all health care providers to discuss PMIS symptoms, testing and care.
He said the health department is partnering with the NY Genome Center and Rockefeller University to conduct a genome and RNA sequencing study to better understand COVID-related illnesses in children and the possible genetic basis of the syndrome.
At his briefing, Cuomo also announced that elective surgeries can begin again in 12 additional counties, including in Orange County. A total of 47 counties can now resume elective surgeries.
The governor also said a fourth region in upstate New York has been given the green light to reopen.
North Country has met the seven benchmarks to gradually restart its economic activity as early as this Friday.
The region joins the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley in opening businesses for phase one, which includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing.