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Hospitalizations for Virus Are Nearly Flat in N.Y., but 799 More Die: Live Updates Hospitalizations for Virus Are Nearly Flat in N.Y., but 799 More Die: Live Updates
(about 1 hour later)
As it has for several days, the story of the coronavirus in New York had two strands on Thursday: encouraging progress and devastating loss of life, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.As it has for several days, the story of the coronavirus in New York had two strands on Thursday: encouraging progress and devastating loss of life, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.
In the past two weeks, the number of virus patients hospitalized has grown more and more slowly, from over 20 percent a day at one point to single-digit percent increases this week.In the past two weeks, the number of virus patients hospitalized has grown more and more slowly, from over 20 percent a day at one point to single-digit percent increases this week.
From Wednesday to Thursday, the number increased by 200, to 18,279, or just 1 percent.From Wednesday to Thursday, the number increased by 200, to 18,279, or just 1 percent.
If the trend were to continue, the number of people in hospitals would soon start to decline — a sign that the virus had passed its apex.If the trend were to continue, the number of people in hospitals would soon start to decline — a sign that the virus had passed its apex.
But the number of people dying of the virus continues to grow. The state recorded 799 deaths from Wednesday to Thursday, another one-day high.But the number of people dying of the virus continues to grow. The state recorded 799 deaths from Wednesday to Thursday, another one-day high.
For the second straight day, Mr. Cuomo compared the toll of the virus to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, calling the virus a “silent explosion that ripples through society with the same randomness, the same evil that we saw on 9/11.”For the second straight day, Mr. Cuomo compared the toll of the virus to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, calling the virus a “silent explosion that ripples through society with the same randomness, the same evil that we saw on 9/11.”
As he has done repeatedly in recent days, Mr. Cuomo stressed that social distancing and other restrictions would continue to be enforced, because they were necessary to maintain the progress the state has made.As he has done repeatedly in recent days, Mr. Cuomo stressed that social distancing and other restrictions would continue to be enforced, because they were necessary to maintain the progress the state has made.
He also cautioned that New York might only be in the first wave of the pandemic. The state would probably have enough hospital beds and ventilators to treat virus patients if current trends hold, he said, but its resources would be insufficient if the most drastic projections about the outbreak were realized.He also cautioned that New York might only be in the first wave of the pandemic. The state would probably have enough hospital beds and ventilators to treat virus patients if current trends hold, he said, but its resources would be insufficient if the most drastic projections about the outbreak were realized.
“Everybody is assuming, well, once we get through this, we’re done,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that. This virus has been ahead of us from day one.“Everybody is assuming, well, once we get through this, we’re done,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that. This virus has been ahead of us from day one.
The governor again emphasized that New York’s black and Hispanic communities were being hit the hardest by the virus, and he said that additional testing sites would be opened in predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods.The governor again emphasized that New York’s black and Hispanic communities were being hit the hardest by the virus, and he said that additional testing sites would be opened in predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods.
Here are the latest statistics from the governor’s morning briefing.Here are the latest statistics from the governor’s morning briefing.
Deaths in New York State: 799 since yesterday, for a new total of 7,067.Deaths in New York State: 799 since yesterday, for a new total of 7,067.
Confirmed cases: 159,937 statewide, up 10,621 from 149,316, a 7 percent increase. In New York City: 87,028, up from 81,803.Confirmed cases: 159,937 statewide, up 10,621 from 149,316, a 7 percent increase. In New York City: 87,028, up from 81,803.
People hospitalized: 18,279 statewide, up by 200 from 18,079 Wednesday, an increase of 1 percent.People hospitalized: 18,279 statewide, up by 200 from 18,079 Wednesday, an increase of 1 percent.
In intensive care: 4,925, up 84 from 4,841 on Wednesday, a 2 percent increase.In intensive care: 4,925, up 84 from 4,841 on Wednesday, a 2 percent increase.
Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey cited progress in the fight against the virus on Thursday even as he reported that another 198 people in the state had died.Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey cited progress in the fight against the virus on Thursday even as he reported that another 198 people in the state had died.
The number of virus patients on ventilators dropped almost 2 percent, to 1,551 from 1,576, from Wednesday to Thursday, an indicator that the curve of infection was flattening.The number of virus patients on ventilators dropped almost 2 percent, to 1,551 from 1,576, from Wednesday to Thursday, an indicator that the curve of infection was flattening.
The death toll was New Jersey’s smallest in three days, although it was still the fourth highest since the outbreak began. More people have died in New Jersey, 1,700, than in any other state besides New York. The death toll was New Jersey’s smallest in three days, although it was still the fourth highest since the outbreak began. More people have died in New Jersey, 1,700, than in any other state besides New York.
Mr. Murphy also said the rate at which the number of confirmed virus cases was doubling in each of the state’s counties was beginning to slow.Mr. Murphy also said the rate at which the number of confirmed virus cases was doubling in each of the state’s counties was beginning to slow.
“This is progress,” he said, showing a county-by-county map of new cases. “Our social distancing is in fact beginning to show effect here.“This is progress,” he said, showing a county-by-county map of new cases. “Our social distancing is in fact beginning to show effect here.
The governor announced 3,748 new cases, pushing the total number in the state to 51,027. He said that as the number of new cases continued to rise, people had to keep following the order to stay at home and to wear masks when going to the grocery store.The governor announced 3,748 new cases, pushing the total number in the state to 51,027. He said that as the number of new cases continued to rise, people had to keep following the order to stay at home and to wear masks when going to the grocery store.
“We have got to get to a plateau,” he said. “This is not a time for selfishness.”“We have got to get to a plateau,” he said. “This is not a time for selfishness.”
Nearly 480 people were discharged from hospitals from Wednesday to Thursday, he said, including James Pruden, an emergency room doctor who contracted the virus in late March.Nearly 480 people were discharged from hospitals from Wednesday to Thursday, he said, including James Pruden, an emergency room doctor who contracted the virus in late March.
Mr. Murphy also announced new grace periods for people who had lost their jobs and could not pay their insurance premiums: 60 days for people unable to pay health and dental premiums and 90 days for those unable to pay home, auto, renter’s and life insurance premiums.Mr. Murphy also announced new grace periods for people who had lost their jobs and could not pay their insurance premiums: 60 days for people unable to pay health and dental premiums and 90 days for those unable to pay home, auto, renter’s and life insurance premiums.
Elizabeth, N.J., which had reported 1,688 coronavirus cases and 45 deaths as of Thursday, is now enforcing social-distancing rules from above.Elizabeth, N.J., which had reported 1,688 coronavirus cases and 45 deaths as of Thursday, is now enforcing social-distancing rules from above.
This week, the Elizabeth police deployed five drones equipped with audio capability. The devices hover over residents who are standing too close together while an automated message from Mayor Chris Bollwage admonishes them to “move away from each other” or face fines of up to $1,000 for failing to keep at least six feet apart from others. This week, the Elizabeth police deployed five drones equipped with audio capability. The devices hover over residents who are standing too close together while an automated message from Mayor Chris Bollwage admonishes them to “move away from each other” or face fines of up to $1,000 for failing to keep at least six feet apart from others.
The drones were donated to Elizabeth by D.J.I., a manufacturer in China that has provided a total of around 100 of the devices to 43 public safety agencies in the United States for what the company said was assistance in enforcing social-distancing efforts regulations.The drones were donated to Elizabeth by D.J.I., a manufacturer in China that has provided a total of around 100 of the devices to 43 public safety agencies in the United States for what the company said was assistance in enforcing social-distancing efforts regulations.
Mr. Bollwage said the drones, which operate during the daytime, were being used mostly in areas like courtyards and along river trails that police vehicles had trouble getting to.Mr. Bollwage said the drones, which operate during the daytime, were being used mostly in areas like courtyards and along river trails that police vehicles had trouble getting to.
He said he had received some complaints about the devices, including one resident who complained that the city was employing “communistic tactics.”He said he had received some complaints about the devices, including one resident who complained that the city was employing “communistic tactics.”
“I’m not swooping down with the drones and taking pictures, or hovering over windows, or leaving summonses by airmail,” Mr. Bollwage said. “I’m just warning people that congregating is extremely dangerous.”“I’m not swooping down with the drones and taking pictures, or hovering over windows, or leaving summonses by airmail,” Mr. Bollwage said. “I’m just warning people that congregating is extremely dangerous.”
In a city ravaged by the virus, few places have suffered as much as central Queens, where a seven-square-mile patch of densely packed immigrant enclaves recorded more than 7,000 cases in the outbreak’s first weeks. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees New York City’s subway and buses and two commuter railroads, said on Thursday that it had begun deploying medically trained teams to check transit workers’ temperatures when they arrive at work.
A group of adjoining neighborhoods — Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights — has emerged as the epicenter of New York’s raging outbreak. The move is meant to help the authority prevent the coronavirus from spreading further among its 74,000-person work force and keep the mass transit system from plunging deeper into a pandemic-fueled crisis it will have to overcome for the city’s economy to rebound.
As of Wednesday, those communities, with a combined population of around 600,000, had recorded more than 7,260 virus cases, according to city data. Manhattan, with nearly three times as many people, had about 10,860 cases. As of Wednesday, at least 41 transit workers had died of the virus, around 1,500 had tested positive and another 5,600 were self-quarantined after showing signs of being infected.
The crisis has transformed the area. Roosevelt Avenue, a vital commercial artery that normally bustles with taquerias, arepa stands, threading salons and shops selling newspapers in dozens of languages, has all but shut down. The eerie silence is intermittently broken by sirens and the clattering of trains on elevated tracks. The resulting crew shortages had caused over 800 subway delays on an already reduced schedule and had forced 40 percent of train trips to be canceled in a single day.
“We’re the epicenter of the epicenter,” said Councilman Daniel Dromm, a Democrat who represents Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. He became emotional as he took stock of losses that included five friends and more than two dozen constituents. “This has shaken the whole neighborhood,” he said. The temperature-taking teams have so far tested around 2,000 employees a day at 22 sites and had found that about one in every 1,000 had a fever, officials said.
“One of the best ways to reduce the spread of Covid-19 is to ensure that people who are sick are staying home, out of the transit system and away from work,” Patrick Warren, the authority’s chief safety officer said in a statement. “Our ‘temperature brigade’ helps reduce risk for everyone.”
Officials with Transport Workers Union Local 100 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Traffic at New York City’s busiest bridges and tunnels has plunged nearly 60 percent.
Rush-hour speeds have soared 288 percent on one of the city’s most clogged arteries, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, to 52 miles per hour from 13 m.p.h.
Even the air is cleaner, with levels of particulate matter, which contribute to health problems like lung cancer and heart attacks, plunging as much as 35 percent across the city.
The coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged New York has essentially erased much of the traffic in the country’s largest city, easing the congestion that has strangled the streets and has made it more perilous for pedestrians and a growing army of bicycle commuters.
And it has happened far more swiftly and drastically than any measure New York’s leaders have taken so far to push cars off the streets.
In one measure of declining road use, the average number of miles traveled in 24 hours by vehicles in the New York metro region, which includes parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, had plunged 64 percent by April 2, according to INRIX, a transportation analytics company.
Also, buses moved faster with fewer cars in the way. The average weekday bus speed rose 7 percent to 8.7 miles per hour from 8.1 miles per hour before the outbreak, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
There is at least one down side to clearer streets, however: speeding. Despite far fewer vehicles on the road, automated speed cameras issued 24,765 speeding tickets citywide on March 27, nearly double the 12,672 tickets issued daily a month earlier, according to city data.
The pandemic may have accomplished what years of complaining, eye-rolling and window slamming could not in New York’s suburbs: silencing leaf blowers, their loud motors further rattling nerves and perhaps — Who knows, maybe? But almost certainly not? — spreading the virus.
Cities, towns and villages in New York, New Jersey and other states have created bans or sought voluntary cuts in the use of leaf blowers in suburban neighborhoods. Town leaders noted that with everyone sheltering at home, the constant din was an added nuisance.
“These things could be going on almost constantly throughout the day,” said Bob Weitzner, the mayor of the Village of Port Washington North, on Long Island, who asked that landscapers refrain from blowing, as many families are home schooling children. He himself owns an electric blower.
Some residents have apparently questioned whether the machines could be spreading the virus. The village of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., raised the same worry on Twitter this week.
“There is concern that the use of leaf blowers may be contributing to the spread of the virus,” the tweet stated, “although there is no scientific proof of this.”
While revelations about how the virus spreads are still emerging, it is widely believed that it can live as an airborne contagion in only very limited circumstances, such as in an infected person’s room.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that even as New Yorkers could probably expect to remain under heavy restrictions through May, he and other officials have started to envision a return to normalcy.Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that even as New Yorkers could probably expect to remain under heavy restrictions through May, he and other officials have started to envision a return to normalcy.
His remarks contrasted sharply with those of the governor, who questioned whether officials could accurately predict the spread of a virus that experts did not fully understand.His remarks contrasted sharply with those of the governor, who questioned whether officials could accurately predict the spread of a virus that experts did not fully understand.
“I’m not going to guess when the data will say we should change our practices,” Mr. Cuomo said.“I’m not going to guess when the data will say we should change our practices,” Mr. Cuomo said.
“Who can look forward and say ‘This is where we’re going to be in three or four or five weeks’,” he said.“Who can look forward and say ‘This is where we’re going to be in three or four or five weeks’,” he said.
The mayor said he thought that as soon as mid-May, the city could move to the next stage in the epidemic, where the virus was spreading at a low level that allowed cases to be traced more easily.The mayor said he thought that as soon as mid-May, the city could move to the next stage in the epidemic, where the virus was spreading at a low level that allowed cases to be traced more easily.
“We can say that it’s time to start planning for the next phase very overtly,” Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference.“We can say that it’s time to start planning for the next phase very overtly,” Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference.
He emphasized, though, that any such a transition would require the availability of widespread testing to a degree that was not yet available.He emphasized, though, that any such a transition would require the availability of widespread testing to a degree that was not yet available.
“We need a whole lot of testing,” Mr. de Blasio said. “We need the federal government to step up, we need them to do it quickly.”“We need a whole lot of testing,” Mr. de Blasio said. “We need the federal government to step up, we need them to do it quickly.”
Still, Mr. de Blasio’s remarks reflected the cautious optimism that other officials have expressed in recent days as hospitalizations seemed to slow.Still, Mr. de Blasio’s remarks reflected the cautious optimism that other officials have expressed in recent days as hospitalizations seemed to slow.
The mayor, echoing Mr. Cuomo, said that any move toward loosening social-distancing guidelines would require New Yorkers to continue adhering to the existing rules for now.The mayor, echoing Mr. Cuomo, said that any move toward loosening social-distancing guidelines would require New Yorkers to continue adhering to the existing rules for now.
The mayor was unwilling to discuss in detail what such a loosening might look like.The mayor was unwilling to discuss in detail what such a loosening might look like.
“In any scenario, we want to see the maximum number of people work at home for a long time,” he said.“In any scenario, we want to see the maximum number of people work at home for a long time,” he said.
The mayor also said the city would look for decreases in three key figures before relaxing social-distancing rules: the percentage of positive coronavirus tests, the numbers of people admitted to hospitals who were suspected to have the virus and the number admitted to intensive-care units who were suspected of being infected.The mayor also said the city would look for decreases in three key figures before relaxing social-distancing rules: the percentage of positive coronavirus tests, the numbers of people admitted to hospitals who were suspected to have the virus and the number admitted to intensive-care units who were suspected of being infected.
All three figures would need to trend downward for 10 days to two weeks before restrictions could be eased, Mr. de Blasio said. Reporting was contributed by Kevin Armstrong, Jonah Engel Bromwich, Annie Correal, Maria Cramer, Michael Gold, Christina Goldbaum, Matthew Haag, Winnie Hu, Patrick McGeehan, Andy Newman, Azi Paybarah and Michael Wilson.
The mayor also said that officials were two to three days away from deciding whether public schools would reopen before the end of the school year in June.
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Reporting was contributed by Kevin Armstrong, Jonah Engel Bromwich, Annie Correal, Maria Cramer, Michael Gold, Andrew Jacobs, Matthew Haag, Andy Newman and Azi Paybarah.