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N.Y. Has Only 6 Days’ Supply of Ventilators, Cuomo Says: Live Updates N.Y. Has Only 6 Days’ Supply of Ventilators, Cuomo Says: Live Updates
(about 1 hour later)
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Thursday that at the rate the state is using ventilators for coronavirus patients, it only has about six days before it runs out.Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Thursday that at the rate the state is using ventilators for coronavirus patients, it only has about six days before it runs out.
“If a person comes in and needs a ventilator and you don’t have a ventilator, the person dies,” Mr. Cuomo said at his daily briefing in Albany. “That’s the blunt equation here. And right now we have a burn rate that would suggest we have about six days in the stockpile.”“If a person comes in and needs a ventilator and you don’t have a ventilator, the person dies,” Mr. Cuomo said at his daily briefing in Albany. “That’s the blunt equation here. And right now we have a burn rate that would suggest we have about six days in the stockpile.”
The governor said that there were 2,200 ventilators in the state’s stockpile and that about 350 new patients a day need them. At that pace, he said, “2,200 disappears very quickly.”The governor said that there were 2,200 ventilators in the state’s stockpile and that about 350 new patients a day need them. At that pace, he said, “2,200 disappears very quickly.”
Mr. Cuomo said that he had spoken to President Trump on Thursday and that while he was sure “the federal government would do anything they can do to help,” he did not think New York could count on the White House to address the shortfall in time.Mr. Cuomo said that he had spoken to President Trump on Thursday and that while he was sure “the federal government would do anything they can do to help,” he did not think New York could count on the White House to address the shortfall in time.
“I don’t think the federal government is in a position to provide ventilators to the extent the nation may need them,” he said. “Assume you are on your own in life.”“I don’t think the federal government is in a position to provide ventilators to the extent the nation may need them,” he said. “Assume you are on your own in life.”
Mr. Cuomo also said the state had been making contingency plans. It has been trying to buy more ventilators on the open market and converting BPAP machines — another kind of respiratory device — for use as ventilators. Unused ventilators from hospitals in upstate New York could also be moved to New York City and the surrounding area as needed, he said. Mr. Cuomo said, however, that the state had been making contingency plans. It is trying to buy ventilators on the open market and converting BPAP machines — another kind of respiratory device — for use as ventilators. Unused ventilators from hospitals in upstate New York could also be trucked to New York City and the surrounding area as needed, he said.
“We have all these extraordinary measures that I believe if push comes to shove will put us in fairly good shape,” he said.“We have all these extraordinary measures that I believe if push comes to shove will put us in fairly good shape,” he said.
The governor’s other notable updates included a “troubling” surge of over 1,000 new cases in Nassau County on Long Island overnight. The county now has over 10,000 confirmed virus cases. At the briefing, the governor also noted a “troubling” surge of over 1,000 new virus cases in Nassau County on Long Island overnight. The county now has over 10,000 confirmed cases.
Other daily statistics from the governor’s briefing. Other daily statistics from the governor:
Deaths in New York State: 2,373, up 432 from 1,941 on Wednesday. New York now accounts for 42 percent of the 5,708 virus-related deaths in the United States.Deaths in New York State: 2,373, up 432 from 1,941 on Wednesday. New York now accounts for 42 percent of the 5,708 virus-related deaths in the United States.
Confirmed cases: 92,381 in New York State, up from 83,712. New York City has nearly 52,000.Confirmed cases: 92,381 in New York State, up from 83,712. New York City has nearly 52,000.
Hospitalized in New York State: 13,383, up from 12,226.Hospitalized in New York State: 13,383, up from 12,226.
In intensive care in New York State: 3,396, up from 3,022.In intensive care in New York State: 3,396, up from 3,022.
In more positive news, the governor said that 21,000 medical workers from outside the state had volunteered to work in New York hospitals. Including workers from New York, more than 85,000 health care professionals, many of them retirees, have said they were ready to help. In more positive news, Mr. Cuomo said that 21,000 medical workers from outside the state had volunteered to work in New York hospitals. Including workers from New York, more than 85,000 health care professionals, many of them retirees, have raised their hands.
Mr. Cuomo’s brother, Chris, a CNN anchor who is infected with the virus, called in to the briefing via video and said he was “doing pretty well, all things considered.” And Mr. Cuomo’s brother, Chris, a CNN anchor who is infected with the virus, called in to the briefing via video and said he was “doing pretty well, all things considered.”
Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark announced Thursday that his city and three neighboring New Jersey communities were enacting newly aggressive measures to slow the spread of the virus. Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark announced Thursday that his city and three neighboring New Jersey communities were enacting aggressive measures to slow the spread of the virus.
The measures, collectively called “Operation Lockdown,” were scheduled to last seven days. Police will patrol the borders between Newark, Orange, East Orange and Irvington, and other areas, to reduce traffic between the four cities. In “Operation Lockdown,” as the effort is called, police will patrol the borders between Newark, Orange, East Orange and Irvington, and other areas, to reduce traffic between the four cities.
Other police patrols are focused on breaking up gatherings outside stores, in parks and on street corners. Violators will face summonses and legal action, Mr. Baraka said. Other patrols are focused on breaking up gatherings outside stores, in parks and on corners. Violators will face summonses and legal action, Mr. Baraka said. The crackdown will last seven days and could be extended.
Mr. Baraka said in a statement that people who had been traveling back and forth between the cities, which are all in Essex County, were “making all of our neighborhoods unsafe, so we are going to have the police from our individual communities patrolling the borders to keep them from entering.” Mr. Baraka said in a statement that people traveling back and forth between the cities, which are all in Essex County, were “making all of our neighborhoods unsafe, so we are going to have the police from our individual communities patrolling the borders to keep them from entering.”
From Monday night into Tuesday morning in Newark, law enforcement authorities issued 161 summonses and closed 15 business, Col. Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police said. The next night, the police issued 125 summonses and closed five businesses, he said. From Monday night into Tuesday morning in Newark, the authorities issued 161 summonses and closed 15 businesses, the State Police said. The next night, the police issued 125 summonses and closed five businesses.
There have been 2,617 confirmed cases of the virus and 99 deaths in Essex County. Only Bergen County, the state’s most populous county, has had more. There have been 2,617 confirmed cases of the virus and 99 deaths in Essex County as of Thursday. Only Bergen County, the state’s most populous county, has had more.
With 182 new deaths since Wednesday, New Jersey’s death toll from the virus has more than doubled, to 537, in two days, Gov. Phil Murphy said on Thursday. With 182 new deaths since Wednesday, New Jersey’s death toll from the virus more than doubled, to 537, in two days, Gov. Phil Murphy said on Thursday.
“I know these numbers are stark — they are certainly sobering,” he said.“I know these numbers are stark — they are certainly sobering,” he said.
With another 432 deaths in New York State reported on Thursday, the death toll for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut now stands at 2,995 — more people than were killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.With another 432 deaths in New York State reported on Thursday, the death toll for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut now stands at 2,995 — more people than were killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
The state now has over 25,000 confirmed cases of the virus, with 3,500 people testing positive since Wednesday, the governor said.The state now has over 25,000 confirmed cases of the virus, with 3,500 people testing positive since Wednesday, the governor said.
Mr. Murphy spoke after touring a 250-bed field hospital at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus that is expected to open on Monday. Mr. Murphy spoke after touring a 250-bed field hospital at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus that is expected to open on Monday. The state is building similar hospitals in Edison and Atlantic City.
The state is building two more such hospitals, in Edison and Atlantic City. Mr. Murphy also announced that he had signed an executive order authorizing the state police to commandeer medical supplies.
Mr. Murphy also announced that he had signed an executive order authorizing the state police to commandeer medical supplies, including masks and ventilators. And he noted that six people in the state had been criminally charged with assaulting law enforcement officers by spitting or coughing on them and claiming to have the virus. He called them “the first members of ‘Knucklehead Row.’” Offenders face fines of up to $10,000 and up to 18 months in jail.
He also noted that six people in the state have now been criminally charged with assaulting law enforcement officers by spitting or coughing on them and claiming to have the virus. He called them “the first members of ‘Knucklehead Row.’”
“We are taking a zero-tolerance policy against anyone who acts so stupidly and puts others in danger or makes them fear for their health,” the governor said on Twitter. “If you engage in such behavior, you’re going to face — at the least — fines of up to $10,000 and up to 18 months in jail.”
A New York City Housing Authority retiree ticked off his running tally: an ex-wife sick, a daughter sick, and three old friends dead. In Queens, a young poet learned a friend’s parents are in the hospital, one on a ventilator.A New York City Housing Authority retiree ticked off his running tally: an ex-wife sick, a daughter sick, and three old friends dead. In Queens, a young poet learned a friend’s parents are in the hospital, one on a ventilator.
And Qtina Parson of Parkchester in the Bronx gave a grim reversal of the cheerful family updates one expects from the proud mother, sister and aunt that she used to sound like just a couple of weeks — a lifetime — ago.And Qtina Parson of Parkchester in the Bronx gave a grim reversal of the cheerful family updates one expects from the proud mother, sister and aunt that she used to sound like just a couple of weeks — a lifetime — ago.
“My nephew — sick, he’s 28,” she said. “Him and his girlfriend. My sister-in-law, she’s 46, she had it.” Her son, Marcus, 18, is with relatives in South Carolina, where he has developed a fever and a cough.“My nephew — sick, he’s 28,” she said. “Him and his girlfriend. My sister-in-law, she’s 46, she had it.” Her son, Marcus, 18, is with relatives in South Carolina, where he has developed a fever and a cough.
New Yorkers have watched in helpless fear as the coronavirus, with dizzying speed and ferocity, truly took hold of the city in recent days.New Yorkers have watched in helpless fear as the coronavirus, with dizzying speed and ferocity, truly took hold of the city in recent days.
With almost 1,400 dead, many have already lost someone in their circle. And almost everyone now knows someone who is sick.With almost 1,400 dead, many have already lost someone in their circle. And almost everyone now knows someone who is sick.
The rising number of cases has conversely shrunk the private worlds of some eight million individual people. It is as if the microscopic enemy, once an abstract nuisance, seemed to be closing in, its arrival announced with the now-constant peal of the ambulance siren.The rising number of cases has conversely shrunk the private worlds of some eight million individual people. It is as if the microscopic enemy, once an abstract nuisance, seemed to be closing in, its arrival announced with the now-constant peal of the ambulance siren.
New York City has already set up 45 new mobile morgues. Local crematories are now allowed to work around the clock. At one Brooklyn hospital, the in-house morgue was filled to capacity on Tuesday. The next day, the nursing staff ran out of body bags. The deans of New York State’s 15 law schools issued an extraordinary plea, asking the state’s highest court to allow students graduating this year to practice law without taking the bar examination.
As the coronavirus epidemic enters its second month, the casualties in New York are starting to severely tax the city’s ability to accommodate its dead. With more than 1,000 deaths so far and thousands more projected, city officials are working hard to stave off an emergency.
The deans of New York State’s 15 law schools have issued an extraordinary plea, asking the state’s highest court to allow students graduating this year to practice law without taking the bar examination.
The court, the Court of Appeals, announced last week that it was canceling the bar exam that had been scheduled for July because of the virus pandemic. On Tuesday, the court said the exam would be rescheduled for September.The court, the Court of Appeals, announced last week that it was canceling the bar exam that had been scheduled for July because of the virus pandemic. On Tuesday, the court said the exam would be rescheduled for September.
In the meantime, the court said, it would consider letting lower courts authorize law school graduates working under licensed lawyers to practice law in limited circumstances.In the meantime, the court said, it would consider letting lower courts authorize law school graduates working under licensed lawyers to practice law in limited circumstances.
The law school deans, in a letter sent late Wednesday, asked the Court of Appeals to do more. The law school deans, in a letter sent Wednesday, asked the court to do more.
“Delay in the admission of our 2020 graduates to the New York bar,” they wrote, “is likely to cause our students profound harm in a time already marked by suffering, intensifying financial hardship and exacerbating the unfairness of their plight.”“Delay in the admission of our 2020 graduates to the New York bar,” they wrote, “is likely to cause our students profound harm in a time already marked by suffering, intensifying financial hardship and exacerbating the unfairness of their plight.”
The deans asked the court, at a minimum, to grant all students graduating this year provisional authorization to practice law for 18 months. If they do not pass the bar exam by then, the permission would be rescinded.The deans asked the court, at a minimum, to grant all students graduating this year provisional authorization to practice law for 18 months. If they do not pass the bar exam by then, the permission would be rescinded.
The deans also made a more ambitious request: that the court consider letting graduates working under licensed lawyers “seek admission to the bar without sitting for the bar examination.”The deans also made a more ambitious request: that the court consider letting graduates working under licensed lawyers “seek admission to the bar without sitting for the bar examination.”
For many members of Alcoholics Anonymous, meetings are about bodies in space — hugs, pats on backs and a tissue every now and then. Three weeks after the virus was first detected in New York City’s jails, including Rikers Island, four in 10 inmates were being held in quarantine as the number of cases continued to rise.
But a quarantine is a trying time. And as “people who can drink normally” — A.A. lingo for nonalcoholics — are stocking up on liquor (in New York, liquor stores are considered “essential businesses”), A.A. members are hellbent on keeping meetings going. The latest quarantine figures were released late Wednesday by the city’s Board of Correction, which monitors the city’s jails.
Though at least one New York City meeting stayed open a few days after the lockdown, its chairs spaced six feet apart, meetings are now convening on Zoom. And internet A.A., at first glance, is uncanny. Members make disclosures to a crowd of internet strangers who cannot, really, look one another in the eye. Correction officials said separately that as of Thursday morning, 223 staff members, 231 inmates and 38 health care workers assigned to the jails had tested positive for the virus.
“I have several hours clean,” one person said last week. “I need help.” Inmates were now being screened for symptoms before being arraigned, board officials said.
Many people who speak in meetings say they’re overwhelmed with relief to find the online gatherings in a difficult moment. Officials have moved to release about 900 detainees from the jails in the past two weeks to stem the virus’s spread. But inmates and correction staff members have said that conditions at the jails were still unsanitary.
“Part of me wants to shut down, to make the world as small as my bed,” someone said the other day. “But in sobriety I find I can be of service to my mother — actually call, ask her about what interests her, make sure she’s OK.” Inmates have found inventive ways to protect themselves, using diluted shampoo as a disinfectant and alcohol pads from a jail barber to sanitize phones.
At SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, the operating rooms have been freed up and the cafeteria has been turned into a medical ward. On Mr. Cuomo’s orders, the hospital is to begin treating patients virus patients exclusively, and officials have been told to make way for hundreds of such patients. Jail workers have complained about not having access to protective gear like masks and gloves, and about what they said was a failure to notify them when they had come into contact with a someone who had been infected.
At SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, the operating rooms have been freed up and the cafeteria has been turned into a medical ward. On Mr. Cuomo’s orders, the hospital is to begin treating virus patients exclusively, and officials have been told to make way for hundreds of such patients.
“We’re really scrubbing the deck,” said Dr. Wayne J. Riley, the president of the hospital, which is part of the State University of New York system and among Brooklyn’s largest employers.“We’re really scrubbing the deck,” said Dr. Wayne J. Riley, the president of the hospital, which is part of the State University of New York system and among Brooklyn’s largest employers.
The number of virus patients at the hospital is already nearing 200, Dr. Riley said, and SUNY Downstate expects up to 150 more. Patients with other ailments will be transferred to either the Navy hospital ship Comfort or to makeshift wards at the Javits Convention Center. The number of virus patients at the hospital is already nearing 200, Dr. Riley said, and the SUNY Downstate expects up to 150 more. Patients with other ailments will be transferred to either the Navy hospital ship Comfort or to makeshift wards at the Javits Convention Center.
The governor has designated two other state facilities, South Beach Psychiatric Facility in Staten Island and Westchester Square in the Bronx, for virus patients specifically.The governor has designated two other state facilities, South Beach Psychiatric Facility in Staten Island and Westchester Square in the Bronx, for virus patients specifically.
As at other hospitals in New York City, the virus has taken a toll on SUNY Downstate, where resources are running low and doctors and nurses continue to get sick.As at other hospitals in New York City, the virus has taken a toll on SUNY Downstate, where resources are running low and doctors and nurses continue to get sick.
Even in normal times, the hospital has struggled. It is chronically underfunded and has not had serious capital improvements since it was built in 1963.Even in normal times, the hospital has struggled. It is chronically underfunded and has not had serious capital improvements since it was built in 1963.
SUNY Downstate serves a population that is among the city’s poorest, with high rates of the conditions that can increase the risk of dying of the virus, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension.SUNY Downstate serves a population that is among the city’s poorest, with high rates of the conditions that can increase the risk of dying of the virus, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
“I’m concerned that this pandemic will exacerbate health care disparities for the patients we serve,” said Dr. Riley, who is in his third year as the hospital’s president. “The pandemic has a particular predilection for patients like ours.”“I’m concerned that this pandemic will exacerbate health care disparities for the patients we serve,” said Dr. Riley, who is in his third year as the hospital’s president. “The pandemic has a particular predilection for patients like ours.”
More than 800,000 residents the New York region, including New Jersey and Connecticut, have applied for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks as the coronavirus pandemic has brought the economy to a virtual standstill.More than 800,000 residents the New York region, including New Jersey and Connecticut, have applied for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks as the coronavirus pandemic has brought the economy to a virtual standstill.
If you are an employer or a worker who is unemployed, go here to share your story. A reporter or editor may contact you. Your information will not be published without your consent.If you are an employer or a worker who is unemployed, go here to share your story. A reporter or editor may contact you. Your information will not be published without your consent.
Reporting was contributed by Anne Barnard, Jonah Engel Bromwich, Alan Feuer, Michael Gold, Virginia Heffernan, Corey Kilgannon, Adam Liptak, Andy Newman, Andrea Salcedo, Nate Schweber, Michael Schwirtz, Matt Stevens and Michael Wilson. Reporting was contributed by Kevin Armstrong, Anne Barnard, Jonah Engel Bromwich, Alan Feuer, Michael Gold, Virginia Heffernan, Corey Kilgannon, Adam Liptak, Andy Newman, Jan Ransom, Andrea Salcedo, Nate Schweber, Michael Schwirtz, Matt Stevens and Michael Wilson.