5-year-old dies in US from rare COVID-related complications

MARIO TAMA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

A five-year-old boy has become the first child in New York to die from a rare inflammatory illness believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus.

The death of another seven-year-old boy is also under investigation, with Governor Andrew Cuomo describing it as "every parents' nightmare".

As many as 73 cases of children with the disorder, that attacks multiple organs, is worrying doctors in the US.

Cases of the mysterious syndrome in children were first reported in the UK, Italy and Spain.

Scientists are still trying to determine whether it is linked to COVID-19 because not all children with it have tested positive for the virus.

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