NY Sees Plateau In Coronavirus Hospitalizations, Deaths: Cuomo

NEW YORK — The state is starting to see a plateau in the number of hospitalizations and deaths related to the new coronavirus, suggesting that social-distancing measures are paying off, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.

"All the numbers are basically saying the same thing," Cuomo said in a news conference. “You’re not seeing a great decline in the numbers, but you’re seeing a flattening.”

New York's daily death toll from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is trending downward after a three-day period last week with record-breaking numbers of deaths, according to state data.

Saturday saw 758 deaths attributed to the coronavirus, marking the third day in a row that the death toll has decreased since the all-time high of 799 deaths reported for the 24-hour period on April 8, state health department data shows.

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Meanwhile, hospitalizations are holding steady, with 18,000-some patients reported each day for the last five days, according to the data.

"The apex isn’t just an apex, it’s a plateau," Cuomo said.

While Saturday's data shows slight upticks in ICU admissions and patients intubated, Cuomo said the overall trends in the numbers indicate that New York has started to "flatten the curve" of the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, in New York City, the daily number of new patients who need ventilators is trending downwards, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. A week ago, each day brought 200 to 300 more patients needing to be intubated — a number that was expected to increase even further but has instead fallen to roughly 70, de Blasio said Sunday.

The state of New York so far has more cases of the new coronavirus than any nation. As of midnight Saturday, the state has nearly 189,000 cases of the virus and at least 9,385 people have died, according to state health department data. New York City accounts for roughly 103,000 of those cases and 6,898 of those deaths.

Cuomo also announced Sunday that he is requiring essential employees to wear cloth or surgical face masks when interacting with the public, echoing a similar announcement from de Blasio earlier that morning, and that he will expand authorization for who can administer tests for COVID-19 antibodies.

Officials warn that mass testing for the virus and for immunity is a prerequisite for New York to ease current restrictions.

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