New York is now investigating dozens of cases of an inflammatory syndrome in children that can affect blood vessels and organs.

Hospitals are now being advised to prioritize COVID-19 testing for children who show symptoms of Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome. New York health officials are investigating three deaths and about 100 cases thus far.

As News 12 has reported, doctors believe the children affected are experiencing it as a reaction to coronavirus that they likely had weeks before and may have not even known it.

"We see the inflammation and then it seems, in some kids it either goes to the lungs, to the brain or to the heart muscle, and that causes irritation which is where we see the complications," says pediatrician Dr. John Zaso.

Symptoms can include a prolonged fever, body rash, irritability, lethargy, red eyes, an inflamed tongue or enlarged lymph nodes, as well as difficulty feeding for infants.

"If we have this issue in New York, it's probably another states," says Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "It probably hasn't been diagnosed yet in other states because again these children don't present the usual COVID symptoms."

Doctors say it is critical for children to be tested for the antibodies, because it can help point them in the right direction when it comes to making a diagnosis and a treatment plan.