Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (Image: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo via Flickr)
April 11, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned New Yorkers to stay the course and to remain cautious as efforts to flatten the spread of COVID-19 appear to be paying off.
The number of hospitalizations and intubations – those who are connected to ventilators – continues to drop, the governor said at a press briefing Saturday.
There were 85 new coronavirus patients admitted into hospital across the state Friday compared to 1,427 admitted on April 2. As of Saturday morning, there were 18,654 coronavirus patients in hospital across New York state.
However, the death rate remains high with 783 fatalities recorded over the past 24 hours – the third-highest one-day number so far – and the total number of New Yorkers dead now stands at 8,627.
“It’s stabilizing. But it’s stabilizing at a horrific rate,” Cuomo said.
“These numbers depict horrendous suffering and human pain,” the governor said.
Total hospitalizations. Graph from Cuomo’s press briefing Saturday. (Image: YouTube)
The flattening of the curve has started the discussion about when the state should reopen. Most are eager for it to reopen as the unemployment rate has skyrocketed. Just over 345,000 New Yorkers filed new claims last week alone.
The governor said that the decision will be taken from both an economic and public health standpoint and insisted that he will not divorce the two in making the call.
“You can’t ask the people of this state or this country to choose between lives lost and dollars gained,” he said.
Cuomo warned that a rushed decision could lead to a resurgence in the virus and urged people to “stay the course” and to continue following social distancing guidelines. The governor also stressed that it is unknown whether a second wave of the virus could hit or if the virus could re-infect people.
The state is putting together a team of scientific experts to evaluate both domestic and international data before coming to a decision, he said.
Cuomo also called for more diagnostic and antibody testing to be carried out.
“This is a time when literally our actions will determine life and death,” he said.
The governor also pushed back on Mayor de Blasio’s decision to keep schools shut until September, saying that decision could not be made without coordinating with the whole metropolitan region.
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14 Comments
The Trumps donate PLENTY TO CHARITY. How much do you donate? #orangemanmean
Kimberly, the NYTimes is providing free access to their Coronavirus articles, and you can watch Governor Cuomo’s daily briefings online. Your husband might like knowing that too 🙂
Jan, you are right. The virus can carry further than six feet in the air and it can be tracked around by foot/paw traffic. The city is broke so businesses, apartment buildings and homeowners should at least rinse off their sidewalks if possible daily. I’ve been doing it for a few weeks, especially since street cleaning is suspended.
Dog walkers could help us all by walking in the street to help keep the sidewalks clean.
I’ve started wearing high water boots when outside, especially when going to the grocery store so I can spray my boots with disinfectant and rinse them off before walking into the house.
Damaris- You’re not one for problem solving. Just get the grabber or even a broom and knock your item down, it’s paper, it won’t hurt anything. Is it really that bad to carry your own empty bag?
thanks Trump! /s
People are not going to hospitals and passing away at home. That is one of the reasons the curve is flattening. Hospitals, doctors and nurses did a good job of scaring people into not going.
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj should come up with music to educate their people. Even my grandkids love their music.
New data shows that the coronavirus spreads at least 13 feet and travels on shoes.
This is from the CDC. The city needs to start sanitizing public spaces including sidewalks and streets like other countries are doing. As our country releases more data that was available weeks ago in other parts of the world i believe that our lives will become even more restrictive and basic needs to survive will become harder to aquire. People need to prepare as this continues to change. Those that left NYC did the right thing as we continue to have the biggest number of positive cases and deaths in the country.
What have any of Trumps personally donated in this time of crisis?
Cloth and surgical masks (non n95) might help infected people from spreading the virus but does close to nothing from protecting the public from acquiring it. Face masks should be mandatory for all people to wear in public. I see to many people not wearing them in pubic and talking up a storm. Just which group of people is the city to scared to enforce a mask policy with?
In some markets they put essential supplies like paper products so high that few people can reach them. One place had them above the fruit and vegetable isle and when i asked a grocery worker for help he said i had to get it myself. Its so unfair to short people like myself. Its like in addition to carrying your own reusable bags you now need to carry a step ladder to reach a roll of toilet paper. If you fall and get hurt make sure you call a lawyer.
I do not have cable. Thank you for posting and summing up these daily news briefings. The only channels with a clear reception at home are airing shows like Touched by an angel and Highway to heaven which angers my husband when i watch them. Those shows should have a reboot with new actors in 2021.
I watched the mayor on the news today. At point he said that he was concerned about the poor going hungry and becoming desperate. Which makes no sense because most of the “poor” in this city are on food, healthcare and/or housing assistance. Those that are not can simply apply. Its like he is preparing excuses in case people start committing more crime. Most people commiting these neighborhood crimes are not doing it out of hunger. They are simply doing it because they want more. And they see it as an easy and quick way of getting it. I no longer see police cars patrolling the streets. All i hear is the sound of ambulances. Be careful out there. The mayor is also planning on putting single people from current city shelters in hotels.
Why, why would you cancel shutdown just when things are getting better?
Clearly there is still 18,654 coronavirus patients in hospital across New York state, until these people discharge and we learn from their experience, we cannot fix this.
Where is the real usable data? How did people contract this, what helped those who recovered (at home or at hospital). We need more tests and quick reliable results, as it is the tests take too long to return results and they are about 75% accurate.
When this thing is getting better, last thing you want to do is send people back to work, it will spike again.
In reference to people in hospital, we also need more data, how many people do they normally admit to hospitals, just because people have covid, that doesn’t mean that’s the primary reason for being admitted. Flu also killed as much as 50,000 to 60,000 people a year. Does anyone know this? Did we ever keep track of how many people were admitted to hospitals with flu-related illnesses.
I think there is a lot of misinformation, we are on either extremes, we either don’t go out at all, completely shut in for weeks, and on the other hand people don’t care at all, they just walk around, no mask, etc. Do stores actually require masks now?