New York, A mysterious illness believed to be linked to novel coronavirus has killed three children in New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

While addressing the media on Saturday, the Governor described the illness as a "new" syndrome that caused inflammation of blood vessels, leading to possible heart problems, the BBC reported.

Cuomo said health authorities were reviewing 73 similar cases of children across the state.

Many of the children did not display symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19 but later tested positive for the disease or the antibodies it produces.

The three deaths may indicate the virus poses a more severe risk to young people than previously thought, Cuomo added.

According to an advisory issued by the state's health department last week, the multi-system inflammatory syndrome has features that overlap with Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome, including persistent fever, abdominal symptoms, rash and cardiovascular changes.

The department asked health providers to immediately report those cases in patients who are under 21 years old, and perform a diagnostic and serological test to detect the presence of novel coronavirus or corresponding antibodies in the patients.

Similar cases have been recently reported in Britain and other European countries.