NHS England reveal how many children admitted to hospital with rare coronavirus like illness

NHS officials said fewer than 20 children in England have been admitted to hospital with the syndrome, which causes a toxic shock-style inflammatory reaction.

LOCKDOWN: Public angry and frustrated at noisy neighbours and anti-social behaviour during lockdown

They said there were currently no confirmed deaths related to the syndrome.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said experts were continuing to investigate the disease ‘with great urgency’

LATEST: Grandchildren told they can’t attend funeral of ‘cherished’ Sheffield nan who brought them up

He said: “It's a fresh, new disease that we think may be caused by coronavirus and the Covid-19 virus. We're not 100 per cent sure because some of the people who got it hadn't tested positive.

“We're doing a lot of research now but it is something we're worried about.

“What I would also stress is that it is rare. Although it is very significant for those children who do get it, the number of cases is small.”

It follows an alert shared with NHS trusts and GP groups by NHS England asking medics to remain on high alert for signs of the disease.

Mr Hancock told LBC: “We put out at the weekend a call across the NHS because some cases of this had been identified, and then this call essentially says to doctors in other parts of the country, 'have you seen this condition?', and then they collate the information and find out what's going on.”

On Monday, NHS England's national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said it was ‘too early to say’ whether there was a link to coronavirus, while chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said it was ‘entirely plausible’.

Prof Powis urged parents who are worried about a child who is sick and not recovering to seek medical help.

The condition is said to be similar to Kawasaki disease, which mainly affects children under the age of five, with symptoms including a high temperature for five days or more, rashes and swollen glands in the neck.

Joe Brierley, a consultant in paediatric and neonatal intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, said: “The timing is very suggestive, and we do know that some of the toxic shock syndrome-type things do follow other infections.”