Cuomo reports 127 bug deaths in a day

The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic kept on battering New York on Saturday as Gov. Cuomo reported 127 deaths in the Empire State in a single day.

More than 6,000 New Yorkers are hospitalized with the deadly virus and the positive test rate is still above a dangerously high 5% level.

The death toll is stuck just below eight-month highs set earlier this past week, while sky-high hospitalization and intensive care numbers promise more heartache in the days and weeks ahead.

Cuomo urged New Yorkers for the umpteenth time to take precautions against the virus, especially during the holiday season, noting that vaccines will eventually end the pandemic.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but how fast we get there all depends on our actions,” Cuomo said.

For weeks, the nation has been battered by the dreaded second wave of the pandemic. Caseloads and deaths started spiking in the upper Midwest but are now spiraling across much of the country.

Southern California is perhaps the worst hotspot right now, with more than 43,000 new cases and 277 deaths reported Saturday in the Golden State.

New York had mostly been spared the worst of the virus’ resurgence. But in recent weeks, the pandemic has returned with a vengeance, especially upstate.

Cuomo also urged President Trump to intervene for enactment of a COVID stimulus package that is still stalled in Congress.

The governor appealed to the lame-duck president to burnish his legacy by pushing Republican negotiators to approve a new round of direct payments to Americans and aid to hard-pressed state and local governments.

“Watching Americans die never earned anyone high ratings,” Cuomo said. “You are about to exit the stage, and the audience always remembers the close.”