New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference on Friday that the number of reported coronavirus cases in the state has risen to nearly 45,000 people, and though the rate of infection is still doubling, it is doing so at a slower pace.
- New York has by far and away the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, becoming the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. with 44,635 people infected—and more than 25,300 cases concentrated in New York City.
- New York’s caseload now amounts to almost half of the national total: The U.S. has 85,996 cases as of Friday—the most cases out of any country in the world.
- The state’s death toll has also continued to rise, jumping up to 519 from 385 yesterday: “That number is going to continue to go up, and that is the worst news that I could possibly tell the people of the state of New York,” Cuomo said in his press conference.
- The governor predicted that New York will face its apex of coronavirus cases in about 21 days, as he spoke about ongoing efforts to ramp up hospital capacity, open new treatment centers and stockpile medical supplies.
- Cuomo suggested that the state’s widespread shutdowns and social distancing measures are paying off, with the rate of hospitalizations slowing somewhat in the last few days, from doubling every two days to now only doubling every four days: “It’s still doubling, and that’s still bad news… but there is good news in that the rate of the increase is slowing,” he said.
- Cuomo also announced in his Friday press conference that he would extend statewide school closures by another two weeks, to April 15, as the number of coronavirus cases in the state continues to rise unabated.
Crucial quote: “I say, my friends, that we go out there today and we kick coronavirus’ ass,” Cuomo told members of New York state’s national guard in attendance at the press conference. “This is a moment that is going to change this nation,” he said, praising their heroic efforts in responding to the crisis so far. “10 years from now, you’ll be talking about today with your children or your grandchildren, and you will shed a tear because you will remember the lives lost… but you will also be proud, you’ll be proud of what you did.”
Key background: While Cuomo has repeatedly said that his state needs tens of thousands of more ventilators to respond to the escalating pandemic, President Donald Trump publicly said on Fox News last night, “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators.” When asked about Trump’s response, Cuomo said, “well everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I don’t operate based on opinions. I operate on facts, data and hard numbers—and the numbers say we need 30,000.” The governor explained that New York is stockpiling the ventilators it does have in order to deploy them for the predicted apex in coronavirus cases.
“The Federal government said, promised, implied, stated that they would provide aid to state governments—but they passed a bill that didn’t do that,” Cuomo said. He detailed that New York has already lost about $10 billion to $15 billion in revenue, and because of a lack of federal aid, he would have to cut top expenses in the state budget, like education aid. “So when they didn’t give the state funding all they did was cut the education budget for the state of New York, which is tragic,” Cuomo said.
What to watch for: Cuomo also spoke about a new plan to build four new temporary emergency hospitals, which will add another 4,000 hospital beds for those in need. “I’m going to ask the president today if he will authorize [it],” he told reporters. “We would do the same thing that we’ve done here successfully,” he said, speaking from the facility set up at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The newly planned facilities include sites like the New York Expo Center in the Bronx, the Queens Aqueduct Racetrack, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and the College of Staten Island.
Big number: 62,000. The Governor of New York referenced the thousands of medical staff who have volunteered to help with the public health crisis—many of whom have come out of retirement. Another 10,000 or so people volunteered overnight: “How beautiful is that?” Cuomo said.
Forbes
