State health officials are reporting what appears to be the second case of a serious inflammatory condition linked to COVID-19 in youths.
Kentuckians were alerted Tuesday to the second case of the illness in as many days. Experts believe the condition, known as "pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome," could be caused by an immune system overreaction to the novel coronavirus in children and adolescents.
Monday the state was made aware of the first presumed case, a 10-year-old who remains on a ventilator but is showing small signs of improvement. The second apparent instance is in a 16-year-old, who is hospitalized but not on a ventilator.
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack outlined some of the signs reportedly linked to the condition.
"Some of these children can have symptoms where they develop a rash ... or fever that's persistent for multiple days, where they can have signs of weakness, fatigue, muscle aches," Stack said. "They can get runny nose or watery eyes."
The top health official said the symptoms are similar to a condition known as Kawasaki disease.
While it's still unclear exactly how the syndrome might be related to the novel coronavirus, Gov. Beshear said both patients in Kentucky have tested positive for COVID-19.
