New York Coronavirus Update From Cuomo: Deaths up to 728 Daily Hospitalizations Drop

JV Web Editor

Cuomo held his daily coronavirus update on Saturday afternoon. Here are the vital points made, you can watch the entire press conference at the bottom of the page (courtesy of Fox News)

• “It’s literally like one day blending into the other.”He points out that China’s first Covid-19 case was 12 weeks ago, New York’s first case was on 1 March, and that city schools closed only 10 days ago. “Keep it all in perspective in this disorienting time
• Cuomo stated  there are 4,000 ventilators from the federal government are in the stockpile, meaning a big shortfall must be made up in the 14 to 21 days before the apex. He says the ventilators were $25,000 apiece when the state began buying, but they’re up to $45,000 today due to the demand. And because the state is approximately $15bn in debt, there is “no interest in inflating the number of ventilators than we actually need”.
• Agreed with Trump on Invoking the Defense Production Act
• Cuomo displays a  bag-valve mask, a manual ventilator that helps people breathe. The National Guard is being trained to manually operate them, but it’s anything but optimal. “If we have to turn to this device on any large-scale basis, that is not an acceptable situation,” he says. “Short answer: No, thank you”
• Federal government has send NY 4000 Ventilators but they are not in use, because they are not needed yet, the stockpile is planning ahead of the predicted apex of outbreaks ” preparing and stockpiling for the apex”, the model says we are still heading to the apex.
• Cuomo says that local hospitals statewide must stop operating as individual institutions and start cooperating to help deal with the anticipated rush. “We need the local health systems to think more holistically,” he says. “You can have a single hospital get overwhelmed within that system. … The local health systems have to change their orientation where it’s not hospital by hospital, which is the normal culture.”
• New York pharmacies have been asked to deliver medications free of charge
• The department of health is monitoring the density of population in parks , reports indicate that people are not complying with social distancing in playgrounds , and they may still be closed.  He asks youngsters to take this very seriously .
• hydroxychloroquine  and Zithromax being used on a large scale to over 1100 patients in NY, (contradicting  the medias mass panic over its use-  JV editors point) 
• Javits temporary hospital to open Monday, thanks the army corps of engineer, The US comfort will arrive on Monday for 1000 extra beds, with medial personal, used to take pressure of hospitals
• Cuomo says the federal government has authorized four more field hospitals with a total capacity of 4,000 additional beds. They will be located in the four outer boroughs of Brooklyn (the Cruise Ship Terminal), Queens (the Aqueduct Racetrack), Staten Island (CUNY Staten Island) and the Bronx (the NY Expo Center). He adds there will be a shift to coronavirus-only hospitals to further limit the risk of spread. “This is smart and we’re going to isolate 600 beds for just this treatment,” he says. He spoke to Trump about this.  Mentions, outer borough  field hospitals
• He also says New York’s department of health will begin a new test to see if individuals who were infected with coronavirus developed antibodies to the disease, saying: “It could be a big breakthrough”

  Presidential election moved to June 23rd  with state races for legislature and congress , tax deadline moved to July 15th

• The number of New York coronavirus cases increased to 52,318 and deaths to 728 – but  daily hospitalizations dropped  847 on Friday from 1,154 on Thursday. 69,902 tested.  7,328 currently hospitalized,  1,755 on ICU. 2726 people discharged, that number is up 681.
• Cuomo says he did not discuss a potential “enforceable quarantine” for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut when he spoke with President Trump earlier today. “I haven’t had those conversations,” he says. “I don’t even know what that means.” : “I don’t even know what that means. I don’t know how that could be legally enforceable. And from a medical point of view I don’t know what you would be accomplishing. But I can tell you I don’t even like the sound of it. Not even understanding what it is, I don’t even like the sound of it.” He adds: “Mandatory quarantine is a scary concept because it sounds like you’re saying to people: ‘You can’t leave this district.’”

Quote: ” We go to war, if and when we hit that apex”