NY's death rate nears 4,200, but there's a glimmer of hope
Hook dip in new coronavirus deaths in NY over the last 24 hours could be a glimmer of hope that the spread is slowing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday as overall fatalities in the state climbed to almost 4,200.
Cuomo said it was too early to determine whether the pandemic had reached its apex.
"We're able to either be very near to the apex, or the apex is actually a plateau and we're able to be on the plateau at this time," Cuomo said. "You can't do this day to day. You should look at 3 or 4 days to visit a pattern."
The state reported 594 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday - a tiny decrease compared to the 630 new fatalities announced the day before. ICU admissions and intubations were also down, the governor said, as the discharge rate from hospitals was rising.
Later in the evening, NEW YORK officials also reported a dip in fatalities. By 4:45 p.m. it said deaths had risen by 218 since the evening before, to a complete of 2,472. In comparison, there have been 387 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours and 305 the day before that.
Cuomo sounded cautiously optimistic even while he urged New Yorkers to stay vigilant and continue sticking with the strict social distancing policies in place.
"The coronavirus is truly vicious," he said. "It's a highly effective killer. People who are very vulnerable must stay isolated and protected."
New Yorkers hunkered down Sunday as metropolis entered what authorities called a critical phase of the crisis. Those venturing outdoors for groceries or exercise largely heeded the city's new guidance to wear face coverings such as for example scarves or bandannas - a sight far less common a week ago.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also found cause for encouragement, telling reporters that while the town still needs thousands more ventilators, its supply had outlasted earlier projections. Like Cuomo, he stopped short of declaring a turning point in the crisis.
"I visit a few signs that certainly are a little hopeful, for certain," he said. "But I believe it's early in order to declare that. Let's hope and pray, but we're nearly there yet."
Among the deaths Sunday was the first Rikers Island Jail Complex inmate to die from COVID-19. The Department of Corrections said that 321 workers and 273 inmates have tested positive.
De Blasio said early in the day at his briefing that 1,000 prisoners in city jails have been released as a result of the pandemic.
Here are the latest coronavirus developments in NY:
HEALTH CARE CHALLENGES
The governor said the state's health care system remained over capacity, adding NY is "running short on supplies all over the board." A lot more than 122,000 persons have tested positive for the coronavirus and at least 16,000 persons remain hospitalized.
"The operational challenge for medical care system is impossible," Cuomo said. "It isn't an exercise. It isn't a drill. It's a statement of reality."
The federal government was deploying 1,000 doctors, nurses and respiratory technicians to NY, including 325 scheduled to get started arriving in New York City as soon as Sunday.
The statewide balance of coronavirus cases has been "relatively stable" in the last few days, Cuomo said, but officials were tracking what they called a shift to Long Island. Nassau and Suffolk counties together have significantly more than 26,000 cases.
MORE MEDICS REQUESTED
De Blasio reiterated his call Sunday for a federal enlistment of healthcare workers, warning of a "huge surge in these coming days" that could cripple the city's already strained hospital system.
In every, he said NEW YORK is required 45,000 doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists to complete the crisis.
Some 300 military medical personnel were arriving in NY, an infusion the mayor called a good start. He has asked for approximately 1,450.
"Right now there's a peacetime approach in Washington," de Blasio said, "and that won't cut it."
SPRING BREAK SCRAPPED
The city canceled most of spring break because of its public schools and, in a controversial reversal, called for classes to be held on the beginning of Passover and Good Friday. School officials announced your choice Friday, saying it had been vital that you keep remote learning uninterrupted.
The announcement roiled the city's teachers union.
"Regardless of how angry and frustrated we are at this time, we must concentrate on the most crucial thing, which is to complete the crisis," Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said in a letter to his members. "I am sadly sure that there will be many more tough challenges in the times and weeks to come."
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
1. Hospitals are needs to line up COVID-19 survivors to donate some blood so that doctors can utilize it to take care of the sick.
2. Thousands of personnel like 22-year-old EMT Josh Allert have already been thrust onto leading lines of the coronavirus emergency in NEW YORK. Allert's mental and physical stamina are constantly put to the test as he transports coronavirus patients around the town.
3. A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the brand new coronavirus, in what's thought to be the first known infection within an animal in the U.S. or a tiger anywhere, federal officials and the zoo said Sunday.
4. As the coronavirus pandemic causes restrictions over the U.S., Appalachian Trail thru-hikers face the difficult decision to postpone their dreams or ignore warnings and forge ahead.
