LIJ Forest Hills Hospital Sees 73 Coronavirus Deaths In A Week

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Long Island Jewish Forest Hills hospital saw 73 deaths related to the new coronavirus last week, as the state's daily death toll reached an all-time high.

The new coronavirus left 73 patients dead from April 5 to April 12, according to Northwell Health, which runs the hospital.

Twice that week, the hospital saw 13 people die of the virus in the span of a single day, the New York Post reported.

At the same time, the state of New York was experiencing three days in a row of record-breaking death tolls, peaking at 799 deaths on April 8, state health department data shows.

"The prevalence of deaths underscores the serious health implications of the virus, especially for those with underlying medical conditions that put them at high risk for serious illness," Northwell spokesperson Terry Lynam said in a statement.

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Northwell has transferred hundreds of patients with the new coronavirus to its other hospitals to keep the Forest Hills hospital from swelling way over capacity, Patch previously reported.

But things are also looking up: LIJ Forest Hills discharged 305 coronavirus patients last week, and the number of patients coming in with the virus is starting to plateau.

"The encouraging news is that hundreds of patients from Northwell hospitals throughout the metropolitan area are recovering and going home every day," Lynam said. "In addition, the volume of patients coming into our hospitals is leveling off. If we stay strong and united, we will get through this crisis together."

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