Dr. Rachel Levine, the state's secretary of health, announced the latest figures regarding MIS-C in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

In a virtual news conference with Gov. Tom Wolf, Levine said there have been 17 reports of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, which has been linked to children who have recovered from COVID-19.

Of the 17 reports, nine have been confirmed as cases of the syndrome, two have been discounted as cases and six are under investigation.

“There are developmental protocols being developed for those children,” Levine said.

Dr. Zachary Aldewereld, a pediatric infectious disease fellow at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, said the hospital has had no confirmed cases of MIS-C as of Tuesday.

According to Aldewereld, UPMC assembled a team of that includes ICU doctors, inflammation doctors, heart doctors and infection doctors to create guidelines to diagnose and treat the condition. He said the team also would draw upon CDC guidance too.

MIS-C is described as a rare condition affecting children as late as four to six weeks after a child has recovered from COVID-19. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, rash, swollen lymph nodes and red eyes, among others. The condition is not COVID-19, but rather a syndrome that comes after the child has the virus.

“There is rather limited information about this condition,” Levine said.

Aldewereld said there are two key concerns surrounding the syndrome. The first is that in its acute stage, children can be sick enough to need intensive care. The second is that following a bout with the condition, some children can develop enlarged coronary arteries, which poses a long-term concern. But there is room for optimism.

“We believe that with early diagnosis and treatment, that this risk is reduced substantially based on experience with similar diseases,” he said.

Aldewereld said parents who see these types of symptoms should contact their child's health care provider immediately. He said it's important for parents to be aware of the condition, but they should find some comfort in the fact that it is rare.

“I think this is one of the most important points for parents to know, that it appears to be very rare, and we expect this to hold true over time,” he said.

Coronavirus in children is rare, and even fewer develop MIS-C. Levine said COVID-19 has mostly affected people older than 25, and children who have contracted the virus commonly show mild symptoms.

Last week, the first death of a child in Pennsylvania was reported as caused directly by COVID-19. It was also noted that the child was not a resident of the state.

While the state plans to continue monitoring MIS-C, both Wolf and Levine reported positive trends in the state's COVID-19 numbers.

“Regionally, we are seeing some fluctuation of case counts, but overall they continue to trend downward,” Levine said. “Statewide, we are now estimating that 61 percent with COVID-19 have recovered.”

Both Wolf and Levine were asked about plans to move counties from yellow to green phases in the reopening of the state.

“We're able to make this progress toward safely reopening our economy only because people like you are taking precautions,” Wolf said. “So, I thank each and every one of you for doing your part.”

Starting Friday, 17 counties will move to green. Wolf reiterated Tuesday that all remaining red counties will likely move to the yellow phase by June 5.

As the state considers more phase changes, Levine said the state's increased testing capacities have made the 50 positive cases per 100,000 population metric “less useful.”

She said officials will instead focus more on models and projections, which are available on the Department of Health's website. Levine also explained what it would take for a county to move from yellow to green.

“Those counties need to have a continually decreasing rate of COVID-19 while they were yellow,” she said. “If they have a continued decreased rate of infection, then they'll be considered to go green.”

The following numbers on the coronavirus pandemic were compiled from the regular news releases from the state Department of Health figures.Tuesday’s COVID-19 statistics:Butler CountyConfirmed cases: 240Negative tests: 3,343Deaths: 12PennsylvaniaNew cases: 451Total cases: 68,637New deaths: 13Total deaths: 5,152Negative tests: 339,835Surrounding CountiesAllegheny: 1,816 confirmed cases; 27,412 negative test results; and 160 deathsArmstrong: 59 confirmed; 1,128 negative; and 3 deathsBeaver: 570 confirmed; 3,413 negative; and 72 deathsClarion: 29 confirmed; 651 negative; and 2 deathsLawrence: 74 confirmed; 1,173 negative; and 8 deathsMercer: 105 confirmed; 1,417 negative; and 4 deathsVenango: 8 confirmed and 476 negativeWestmoreland: 442 confirmed; 8,587 negative; and 38 deaths- The total number of cases includes confirmed and probable cases.- The total deaths and new deaths include only confirmed deaths, which is a person who tested positive for the virus before their death.