Fast Facts:
Ӣ 64 Westchester residents dead from COVID
Ӣ Westchester-based Regeneron is creating 500,000 test kits at no charge
Ӣ Number of deaths in the state rose from 1,550 to 1,941
Ӣ The McKinsey model with minimal social distancing shows that apex of the virus will be at the end of April
Ӣ The total number of people tested statewide is 220,880
Ӣ Westchester had 716 new cases bringing its total to 10,683
Ӣ 12,226 people are currently hospitalized
Ӣ ICU admissions went down from 358 on Sunday to 312 on Monday
”¢ The governor quotes Winston Churchill, who said: “It is no use saying ”˜We are doing our best.”™ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer reported this afternoon that 64 Westchester residents have died from the COVID-19 virus. He released the information shortly after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo reported statistics that placed the number of cases identified in Westchester at 10,683.
“What else do you have to know, what else do you have to hear, who else has to die for you to understand you have a responsibility in this,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said to people who have been congregating in crowds in New York City’s parks in defiance of social distancing requirements.
Cuomo said a tougher police response is needed to ensure that people are separated to help slow the spread of COVID-19. He said New York City playgrounds will be closed, but not entire parks.
Cuomo’s criticism of people who don’t seem to care about their fellow New Yorkers was in sharp contrast to comments he made during an Albany news conference this morning about his brother, CNN journalist Chris Cuomo, who has contracted the virus.
“With all he knows and as smart as he is he couldn’t protect himself,” the governor said.
“I’m frightened for my brother. I’m worried about my brother,” Cuomo said. He described his brother as having fever and chills, symptoms of a very bad flu.
The governor at this afternoon’s news conference in Albany.“Anyone can get this disease. Relatively young people. Strong people. People who take a lot of vitamin pills. People who go to the gym a lot,” Cuomo said.
This morning’s statistics reveal that 1,941 people in New York have died from COVID-19, up from the 1,550 deaths reported yesterday. There have been a total of 83,712 cases identified in New York. The state with the next highest number of cases is New Jersey, which had 18,696 cases. Throughout the U.S., 195,929 cases have been identified.
There were 10,683 cases identified in Westchester, an increase of 716 from the number reported yesterday. Rockland had 3,321 cases reported, Orange had 1,756 and Dutchess County had 547 cases.
Hospitals in the state took in 1,297 new COVID-19 patients yesterday.
There are currently 12,226 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including 3,022 in intensive care units. Cuomo indicated that the process of promoting cooperation and integrating hospitals in the state into one system for purposes of the crisis has been going well but did not confirm that patients already are being moved between geographic regions other than one patient moved to the Albany Medical Center from New York City. The Business Journal has learned that a number of COVID-19 patients have been transferred from hospitals in the New York City area to a hospital in Cooperstown.
Cuomo said that Tarrytown-based Regeneron has donated 500,000 COVID-19 test kits to the state. Cuomo did not place a value on the donation, but did report that the first batch had been delivered on Monday and the company would be providing 25,000 testing kits per day.
He also reported that Corning Glass has donated 100,000 tubes used in testing and will provide 500,000 more at a reduced price.
Cuomo said that consulting firm McKinsey, which was hired by the state to analyze various models predicting possible courses of disease progression has determined it is most likely the apex, or peak impact, will come at the end of April.
McKinsey found that with minimal impact from social distancing the apex will require that the state provide 110,000 hospital beds for COVID patients. It said the state would need 37,000 ventilators. If there is high compliance and a greater impact from the social distancing concept, the number of hospital beds required would be reduced to 75,000 and the number of people on ventilators would be cut to 25,000.
Cuomo also presented information from a study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation showing that if there was sufficient social distancing nationwide the U.S. death toll would be 93,000 with 16,000 dead in New York state.
Cuomo had a warning for those in middle and rural America who don’t think they’ll be seriously affected.
“We’re a rural area; we’re not going to get it. Oh, really? Go visit upstate New York if you want to talk about rural areas. We have rural areas. And just the way it’s going through rural New York it will go through rural America,” Cuomo said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d914EnpU4Fo&feature=youtu.be
