New York death toll nears 1,000 as Trump retreats on ‘quarantine’
● More than 52,000 people in the state test positive for virus
New York state’s coronavirus death toll has almost hit 1,000, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the US total.
The number of disease-related deaths in the state jumped yesterday to 965 from 728 the day before, state governor Andrew Cuomo said. The vast majority have been in New York City.
Figures published yesterday morning showed 678 coronavirus deaths in the city, the epicentre of the pandemic in the US.
On Saturday, after widespread criticism for saying he was weighing up the idea of a mandatory quarantine for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, President Donald Trump tweeted that instead he would advise people in those states to avoid nonessential travel for two weeks.
New York City mayor Bill de De Blasio said he was worried about the advisory’s impact on people with relatives in New York and other places who were looking to reunite.
“We’ve got to respect, in the middle of a crisis, families have a right to be together,” he said.
The mayor repeated his fears that without reinforcements the city will run out of masks, gowns and other hospital supplies in a week and ventilators sooner.
The Trump administration’s leading infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die from coronavirus.
Dr Fauci’s prediction, however, is at the low end of the possible death toll calculated by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. As many as 1.7 million people could die, it says.
All 50 US states have reported some cases of the virus but New York has the most, with more than 52,000 positive tests for the illness.
By yesterday, more than 8,500 people were hospitalised in the state because of the disease, including more than 2,000 in intensive care.
Mr Cuomo said that 76,019 health workers had volunteered to help with the crisis as New York hospitals are pushed beyond capacity.
Naval hospital ship USNS Comfort is set to dock in New York today, to assist with the state’s overflow, providing 1,000 beds and allowing federal officials to treat non-coronavirus patients.
Data showed that coronavirus was overwhelming some of New York City’s poorest districts. Queens accounted for 32 per cent of the city’s confirmed cases on Saturday – more than any other borough.
Areas such as Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Corona, which are generally poor, densely packed and have large non-english speaking populations, have been among the hardest hit, according to a city map showing ranges of people testing positive for the disease.
In those areas, between 69 and 86 per cent of the tests done have come back positive.
A hospital in Elmhurst has been overrun with coronavirus cases. One day last week, 13 hospital patients with the virus died.
Statistics on coronavirus cases do not reflect everyone who may have the virus because many people have been told to manage their illness at home and are not getting tested.
One encouraging figure was that the number of patients being discharged at the state’s hospitals after they’ve been treated for coronavirus increased to a high of 845 on Saturday, Mr Cuomo said.
In all, more than 3,500 people have been discharged.
In New York City, about 20 per cent of coronavirus cases have led to hospitalisations.
Those totals are continuing to spike, but Mr Cuomo said they were no longer multiplying nearly as quickly as they were last week.
The death count will continue to rise, but the “doubling rate is slowing”, Mr Cuomo said.
“And that is good news.”