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1,200 Dead in N.Y. and Cuomo Says Worst Is Still to Come: Live Updates 1,200 Dead in N.Y. and Cuomo Says Worst Is Still to Come: Live Updates
(about 1 hour later)
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, briefing reporters on Monday, said that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak was yet to come, even as another 253 people died in the state in a 24-hour period.Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, briefing reporters on Monday, said that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak was yet to come, even as another 253 people died in the state in a 24-hour period.
“If you wait to prepare for a storm to hit, it is too late,” the governor said. “You have to prepare before the storm hits. And in this case the storm is when you hit that high point, when you hit that apex. How do you know when you’re going to get there? You don’t.”“If you wait to prepare for a storm to hit, it is too late,” the governor said. “You have to prepare before the storm hits. And in this case the storm is when you hit that high point, when you hit that apex. How do you know when you’re going to get there? You don’t.”
The governor spoke at the Javits Center, a convention hall in Manhattan that was quickly turned into a 1,000-bed emergency hospital. His remarks came shortly after a Navy hospital arrived in the city.The governor spoke at the Javits Center, a convention hall in Manhattan that was quickly turned into a 1,000-bed emergency hospital. His remarks came shortly after a Navy hospital arrived in the city.
The setting for Mr. Cuomo’s briefing underscored New York’s urgent efforts to prepare its health care system for the wave of sick people that is expected to overwhelm hospitals in just a few weeks.The setting for Mr. Cuomo’s briefing underscored New York’s urgent efforts to prepare its health care system for the wave of sick people that is expected to overwhelm hospitals in just a few weeks.
Here are other developments from Monday:Here are other developments from Monday:
New York reported almost 7,000 new cases of the virus, bringing the total to nearly 66,500. Most of the cases are in New York City, where 36,221 people have tested positive, the city says.New York reported almost 7,000 new cases of the virus, bringing the total to nearly 66,500. Most of the cases are in New York City, where 36,221 people have tested positive, the city says.
Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey announced 3,347 new positive coronavirus cases in the state, bringing the total to 16,636. There were 37 new deaths, for a total of 198.Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey announced 3,347 new positive coronavirus cases in the state, bringing the total to 16,636. There were 37 new deaths, for a total of 198.
In New York, the number of people hospitalized was 9,517, up 12 percent from yesterday. Of those, 2,352 are in ventilator-equipped intensive care rooms.In New York, the number of people hospitalized was 9,517, up 12 percent from yesterday. Of those, 2,352 are in ventilator-equipped intensive care rooms.
In a hopeful note, Mr. Cuomo said that while the number of hospitalizations continues to grow, the rate which it is growing was tapering off. “We had a doubling of cases every two days, then a doubling every three days and a doubling every four days, then every five,” Mr. Cuomo said. “We now have a doubling of cases every six days. So while the overall number is going up, the rate of doubling is actually down.”In a hopeful note, Mr. Cuomo said that while the number of hospitalizations continues to grow, the rate which it is growing was tapering off. “We had a doubling of cases every two days, then a doubling every three days and a doubling every four days, then every five,” Mr. Cuomo said. “We now have a doubling of cases every six days. So while the overall number is going up, the rate of doubling is actually down.”
More than 4,200 people have been discharged from hospitals.More than 4,200 people have been discharged from hospitals.
New York has tested more than 186,000 people in March, about one percent of the state’s population. But while New York’s testing capacity far outpaces that of other states, it has not reached the critical-mass level public health experts say is necessary to more precisely identify the spread of the virus.New York has tested more than 186,000 people in March, about one percent of the state’s population. But while New York’s testing capacity far outpaces that of other states, it has not reached the critical-mass level public health experts say is necessary to more precisely identify the spread of the virus.
One inmate used an alcohol pad that a barber had given him after a haircut to sanitize a frequently used Rikers Island jailhouse phone. Another used a sock to hold a phone. A third said he and others have used diluted shampoo to disinfect cell bars and table tops.One inmate used an alcohol pad that a barber had given him after a haircut to sanitize a frequently used Rikers Island jailhouse phone. Another used a sock to hold a phone. A third said he and others have used diluted shampoo to disinfect cell bars and table tops.
In the nearly two weeks since the coronavirus seeped into New York City’s jail system, fears have grown of the potential of a public health catastrophe in the cellblocks where thousands are being held in close quarters.In the nearly two weeks since the coronavirus seeped into New York City’s jail system, fears have grown of the potential of a public health catastrophe in the cellblocks where thousands are being held in close quarters.
Public officials have been working to release hundreds of people in jail, but while that effort is moving forward, law enforcement officials concerned about public safety have urged caution.Public officials have been working to release hundreds of people in jail, but while that effort is moving forward, law enforcement officials concerned about public safety have urged caution.
Inside the jails, inmates, including some waiting to be released, have been struggling to protect themselves from the virus.Inside the jails, inmates, including some waiting to be released, have been struggling to protect themselves from the virus.
“You’re on top of one another no matter what you do,” said one man who was recently released from Rikers Island. “There’s no ventilation. If anything is floating, everybody gets it.”“You’re on top of one another no matter what you do,” said one man who was recently released from Rikers Island. “There’s no ventilation. If anything is floating, everybody gets it.”
As public officials across the country scramble to release their own vulnerable populations in jails and prisons as a result of the coronavirus, New York’s complex on Rikers Island has provided a case study in the difficulty of balancing public safety and public health concerns.As public officials across the country scramble to release their own vulnerable populations in jails and prisons as a result of the coronavirus, New York’s complex on Rikers Island has provided a case study in the difficulty of balancing public safety and public health concerns.
On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said about 650 people had been released. Still, the rate of infection has continued to climb, and by Monday, 167 inmates, 114 correction staff and 20 health workers had tested positive and two correction staff members had died. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday that about 650 people had been released. Still, the rate of infection has continued to climb, and by Monday, 167 inmates, 114 correction staff and 20 health workers had tested positive and two correction staff members had died.
A Navy hospital ship that docked in Manhattan this morning is expected to provide relief to the city’s overwhelmed hospitals by freeing up beds to be used for coronavirus patients.A Navy hospital ship that docked in Manhattan this morning is expected to provide relief to the city’s overwhelmed hospitals by freeing up beds to be used for coronavirus patients.
The 1,000-bed ship, the Comfort, with 12 operating rooms, a medical laboratory and more than 1,000 Navy officers, arrived at Pier 90 off West 50th Street in Manhattan just before 11 a.m., and Mayor Bill de Blasio said that 750 of its beds will be put to use “immediately.”The 1,000-bed ship, the Comfort, with 12 operating rooms, a medical laboratory and more than 1,000 Navy officers, arrived at Pier 90 off West 50th Street in Manhattan just before 11 a.m., and Mayor Bill de Blasio said that 750 of its beds will be put to use “immediately.”
The Comfort will treat patients who do not have the virus. The city’s hospitals are now so full that paramedics in the field are being forced to make on-the-spot judgments about who gets to go to the hospital and who is left behind, perhaps to die.The Comfort will treat patients who do not have the virus. The city’s hospitals are now so full that paramedics in the field are being forced to make on-the-spot judgments about who gets to go to the hospital and who is left behind, perhaps to die.
Along the Hudson River, people gathered in bunches to watch the ship arrive — in apparent violation of social distancing rules.Along the Hudson River, people gathered in bunches to watch the ship arrive — in apparent violation of social distancing rules.
The Comfort, a converted supertanker, was used as a floating base for rescue workers in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.The Comfort, a converted supertanker, was used as a floating base for rescue workers in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
In sending the ship, Navy officials acknowledged that they had taken a risk. They insist that they are doing everything short of Saran-wrapping the vessel to try to keep it virus-free,In sending the ship, Navy officials acknowledged that they had taken a risk. They insist that they are doing everything short of Saran-wrapping the vessel to try to keep it virus-free,
“We will establish a bubble around this ship to make sure we’re doing everything to keep it out,” said Capt. Joseph O’Brien, commodore of the military’s Task Force New York City.“We will establish a bubble around this ship to make sure we’re doing everything to keep it out,” said Capt. Joseph O’Brien, commodore of the military’s Task Force New York City.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Monday that five more transit workers, including a bus operator based in Brooklyn and a station cleaner based in the Bronx, had died of the coronavirus.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Monday that five more transit workers, including a bus operator based in Brooklyn and a station cleaner based in the Bronx, had died of the coronavirus.
The new fatalities brought to seven the death toll for the authority, which oversees New York City’s subway and buses and two commuter railroads.The new fatalities brought to seven the death toll for the authority, which oversees New York City’s subway and buses and two commuter railroads.
The dead include Scott Elijah, a track worker based in Queens; Caridad Santiago, the cleaner in the Bronx; Ernesto Hernandez, a bus operator who worked out of the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot in Sunset Park; Victor Zapana, a supervisor in the agency’s stations department; and Warren Tucker, a bus mechanic assigned to Brooklyn.The dead include Scott Elijah, a track worker based in Queens; Caridad Santiago, the cleaner in the Bronx; Ernesto Hernandez, a bus operator who worked out of the Jackie Gleason Bus Depot in Sunset Park; Victor Zapana, a supervisor in the agency’s stations department; and Warren Tucker, a bus mechanic assigned to Brooklyn.
“Scott, Caridad, Ernesto, Victor and Warren were all inspiring and valued colleagues, well-loved and well-respected by their co-workers,” the agency sad in a statement. “They dedicated their lives to serving the public and keeping New Yorkers moving.”“Scott, Caridad, Ernesto, Victor and Warren were all inspiring and valued colleagues, well-loved and well-respected by their co-workers,” the agency sad in a statement. “They dedicated their lives to serving the public and keeping New Yorkers moving.”
Last week, the M.T.A. announced that two other workers, a subway conductor and a bus operator, had died of the virus. At least another 152 employees had tested positive and 1,181 were quarantined, officials said. The authority’s chairman, Patrick J. Foye, tested positive for the virus on Saturday.Last week, the M.T.A. announced that two other workers, a subway conductor and a bus operator, had died of the virus. At least another 152 employees had tested positive and 1,181 were quarantined, officials said. The authority’s chairman, Patrick J. Foye, tested positive for the virus on Saturday.
Tony Utano, the president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents transit workers, called the deaths “another gut punch to our union.”Tony Utano, the president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents transit workers, called the deaths “another gut punch to our union.”
Even with ridership down, the agency has tried to protect the people who are still using and working in public transit from the virus’s spread. Cleaning crews have been disinfecting all train cars and buses every three days with the same disinfectants used in hospitals and nursing homes. A New York Fire Department auto mechanic also died on Sunday after becoming infected with the coronavirus, the first death of an active department employee, a spokesman said.
Day after day, doctors and nurses keep going to work, earning cheers on the streets for fighting on the front lines. The mechanic, James Villecco, 55, of Staten Island, joined the department’s Bureau of Fleet Services in 2014 and went on to work in the ambulance repair shop at a different shop.⁣⁣
But inside New York’s hospitals, medical workers face scenes that are incredibly grim. Their colleagues are falling sick.
Two nurses in city hospitals have died. Protective gear for those who are relatively healthy remains scarce.
Across New York, anxiety is growing among even the most even-keeled health care workers. “I feel like we’re all just being sent to slaughter,” said Thomas Riley, a nurse at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, who has contracted the virus, along with his husband.
A New York Fire Department auto mechanic died on Sunday after becoming infected with the coronavirus, the first death of an active department employee, a spokesman said.
The mechanic, James Villecco, 55, of Staten Island, joined the department’s Bureau of Fleet Services in 2014 and was assigned to the Coney Island repair facility. He went on to work in the ambulance repair shop at a different shop.⁣⁣
“James Villecco was one of those truly unsung heroes in our department whose outstanding work provided medical care for the people of our city,” Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said in a statement. “The entire department mourns his loss”“James Villecco was one of those truly unsung heroes in our department whose outstanding work provided medical care for the people of our city,” Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said in a statement. “The entire department mourns his loss”
Mr. Villecco, a six-year veteran of the Army, is survived by his wife and daughter, the department said. Last week, a large order from a Twitter follower in Maryland gave the Harlem restaurant FieldTrip a crucial shot of revenue and, perhaps, a glimpse of a way to stay in business during the coronavirus pandemic.
FieldTrip’s chef and owner, JJ Johnson, had taken to Twitter on Wednesday to say he had just packed and sent 40 rice bowls, his restaurant’s specialty, to the staff at Harlem Hospital Center. One of New York City’s official coronavirus testing sites, the hospital has been flooded, like so many others in the area, by new and suspected cases.
A few minutes later, the fan in Maryland bought 170 more bowls; Mr. Johnson sent half to Harlem the next day and half to Mount Sinai Hospital on Friday. The order kept FieldTrip busy enough that Mr. Johnson called two of his employees back to join the three others he had brought in earlier in the week as takeout and delivery business began to pick up.
What has happened at Fieldtrip is playing out at restaurants and hospitals around the country. Delivery orders for health care workers have begun coming in, ranging in ambition from bags of sandwiches paid for by small pledges on GoFundMe pages to multicourse meals subsidized by the philanthropic arms of major companies.
Nearly 100 people living in New York City’s main homeless shelter system have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.Nearly 100 people living in New York City’s main homeless shelter system have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.
As of Sunday, 99 people staying in 59 shelters had tested positive for the virus, according to the city’s Department of Social Services. Two of them, a man in his 60s and a man in his 70s, died last week. Twenty-seven homeless people remained hospitalized on Sunday, officials said.As of Sunday, 99 people staying in 59 shelters had tested positive for the virus, according to the city’s Department of Social Services. Two of them, a man in his 60s and a man in his 70s, died last week. Twenty-seven homeless people remained hospitalized on Sunday, officials said.
The city’s main shelter system for homeless people is made up of about 450 traditional shelters, hotels and private apartment buildings. There are an estimated 79,000 homeless people in the city; about 5 percent live unsheltered on the city’s streets.The city’s main shelter system for homeless people is made up of about 450 traditional shelters, hotels and private apartment buildings. There are an estimated 79,000 homeless people in the city; about 5 percent live unsheltered on the city’s streets.
Seven people living on the streets and three people who were staying in what is considered unstable housing have tested positive for the virus, officials said.Seven people living on the streets and three people who were staying in what is considered unstable housing have tested positive for the virus, officials said.
As of Sunday, there were 140 people staying in special isolation units operated created by the social services agency at four locations. As of Sunday, there were 140 people staying in special isolation units operated by the social services agency at four locations.
Subway ridership in New York City has plummeted in recent weeks. But in poorer areas, many people have jobs that do not allow them the luxury of working from home. So they keep riding.Subway ridership in New York City has plummeted in recent weeks. But in poorer areas, many people have jobs that do not allow them the luxury of working from home. So they keep riding.
In the Bronx, two stations that have had relatively low drops in ridership serve neighborhoods with some of the highest poverty rates in the city, a Times analysis found.In the Bronx, two stations that have had relatively low drops in ridership serve neighborhoods with some of the highest poverty rates in the city, a Times analysis found.
The 170th Street station in the University Heights neighborhood and Burnside station in Mount Eden are surrounded by large Latin American and African immigrant communities where the median household income is about $22,000 — one-third the median household income in New York State, according to census data.The 170th Street station in the University Heights neighborhood and Burnside station in Mount Eden are surrounded by large Latin American and African immigrant communities where the median household income is about $22,000 — one-third the median household income in New York State, according to census data.
It is a striking change on a system that has long been the great equalizer among New Yorkers, where hourly workers crowded in with financial executives. Now the subway is more like a symbol of the city’s inequality.It is a striking change on a system that has long been the great equalizer among New Yorkers, where hourly workers crowded in with financial executives. Now the subway is more like a symbol of the city’s inequality.
Many residents say they have no choice but to pile onto trains with strangers, potentially exposing themselves to the virus. Even worse, a reduction in service in response to plunging ridership has sometimes caused crowding making it impossible to maintain the social distancing public health experts recommend.Many residents say they have no choice but to pile onto trains with strangers, potentially exposing themselves to the virus. Even worse, a reduction in service in response to plunging ridership has sometimes caused crowding making it impossible to maintain the social distancing public health experts recommend.
“This virus is very dangerous. I don’t want to get sick, I don’t want my family to get sick, but I still need to get to my job,” said Yolanda Encanción, a home health aide who works in Lower Manhattan.“This virus is very dangerous. I don’t want to get sick, I don’t want my family to get sick, but I still need to get to my job,” said Yolanda Encanción, a home health aide who works in Lower Manhattan.
Reporting was contributed by Jonah Engel Bromwich, Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Michael Gold, Jesse McKinley, Andy Newman, Sam Roberts, Michael Schwirtz, Matt Stevens and Tracey Tully. Reporting was contributed by Jonah Engel Bromwich, Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Michael Gold, Jesse McKinley, Andy Newman, Sam Roberts, Michael Schwirtz, Matt Stevens, Tracey Tully and Pete Wells.