The epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., New York saw its caseload continue to surge.
Topline: Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference on Friday that New York’s coronavirus death toll jumped by nearly 600 overnight, for its biggest single-day increase so far, with the total number of confirmed cases in the state surpassing 100,000.
- Now the epicenter of the global coronavirus outbreak, New York has a total of 102,863 confirmed cases, with another 10,482 reported overnight. Over 57,000 cases are concentrated in New York City alone.
- Cuomo mentioned that he was also “concerned” about a troubling surge in cases on Long Island—in Nassau and Suffolk counties, which both have over 10,000 confirmed cases as of Friday.
- The state’s death toll continues to rise: 562 new casualties were reported overnight, the biggest single-day increase so far. Total deaths now amount to 2,935.
- The New York governor announced that he would be signing an executive order allowing the state to take ventilators and PPE from institutions that don’t need them right away, to redeploy them to other parts of the state as needed—with a promise to reimburse or return any equipment. “We’re sharing and shifting resources, which is the only intelligent thing to do,” Cuomo said.
- He also mentioned that the Jacob K. Javits center, which was originally set up as a temporary hospital for non-coronavirus patients, will in fact be converted to a Covid-19 facility.
- Cuomo also called for national unity, recommending a rolling deployment of resources across the country and urging states to help each other as the outbreak progresses and different states hit their apexes at different times:
- “As Americans, it’s in our DNA to help one another,” he said. “Focus on the emergency that is in front of you. Then, redeploy to the next situation.”
Crucial quote: “I remember post-9/11, without asking anyone for anything, the people that showed up in New York just to help… that’s America at its best,” Cuomo said. “At this time, when we’re dealing with our worst, let’s deploy America at its best.” The New York governor cited 20,000 health professionals who have volunteered from out of state to come help New York amid the pandemic: “Systemize that voluntarism,” he urged. “That’s how we beat this damn virus as it marches across the country.”
Crucial statistic: The burn rate of ventilators is about 300 per day, Cuomo said in his press conference. That followed his comments on Thursday, when he warned that New York only has six days left of ventilators in its stockpile. “We don’t have enough. Period,” he said.
Tangent: Cuomo pleaded for more help from the rest of the country, as New York’s caseload continues to surge unabated: “Help the place that is in crisis... New York is in crisis,” he said. “In any event, when our curve is over, that’s what we’re going to do... New York will be there for any community that needs us.”
Key background: Cuomo again spoke about the shortage of medical supplies and ventilators. “It is unbelievable to me that in New York state, in the U.S., we can’t make these materials… [states] are all shopping China to try to get these materials and we’re all competing against each other.”
This is a developing story. Please check back here for updates.
