FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A 10-year-old Kentucky child has been put on a ventilator while battling complications linked to the coronavirus, state officials said Monday.

Gov. Andy Beshear paused his daily briefing on the coronavirus outbreak for a moment of silence for the youngster. Officials believe it’s the only cause of a Kentucky child suffering from a new syndrome associated with COVID-19 that can affect children, the governor said.

“I don’t want to be sensational about any of this,” said Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner. “I want to be just the facts and down the middle as much as I can. For kids who get this syndrome, it’s serious. The young patient that we have in Kentucky is critically ill at this time.”

Parents should take comfort that children generally do “extraordinarily well” with the coronavirus, Stack said. But a small number of children can get the syndrome in which their immune system becomes overactive, causing an inflammatory response, Stack said. The illness can manifest itself as a respiratory or gastrointestinal problem, he said.

“There’s not much you can do to prevent this except to take all the steps we’ve told you about, which is stay healthy at home, minimize social contact, have increased social distancing, wear a mask … when you’re out in areas where you may be exposed to other people,” Stack said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up within weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, even death.

Meanwhile, the governor reported seven virus-related deaths from the past two days, bringing the state’s total death count to at least 311 since the pandemic began.

Source: Mountain Top