(NEWSMAX) New York reported the lowest number of new deaths from Covid-19 — 207 — since the end of March. Other indicators also began to show the virus outbreak nearing where it was at the start of what Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday called “this hellish journey.”
The total number of new coronavirus cases in New York rose on Sunday 2,273, for a total of 335,395.
The number of new deaths dropped from 226 the day before, the lowest since March 27, and marked the 10th straight day of new deaths at a plateau in the 200s. New and total hospitalizations, as well as intensive care cases, continued to drop.
The total number of new coronavirus cases in New York rose on Sunday 2,273, for a total of 335,395.
New and total hospitalizations, as well as intensive care cases, continued to drop.
He said he would release on Monday more details on how New York would begin to reopen — and confirmed that some areas upstate would be ready to slowly open after the official lockdown ends on May 15.
Cuomo gave no indication that New York City or the surrounding areas are anywhere near being able to reopen.
He also reported another 12 cases, for a total of 85, of a newly-recognized, Covid-related illness that afflicts children and has killed three in New York. The condition is called pediatric multi-system inflammatory disease, and it can cause dangerous inflammation, including to the heart.
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The Governor also announced he will issue an Executive Order mandating that all nursing homes and adult care facilities test all personnel for COVID-19 two times per week and report any positive test results to the State Department of Health by the next day. The Executive Order also mandates that hospitals cannot discharge a patient to a nursing home unless that patient tests negative for COVID-19.
All nursing home and adult care facility administrators will be required to submit a plan on how they will accomplish this testing and a certificate of compliance with this Executive Order to the State Department of Health by Friday May 15th.
Any nursing home or adult care facility found to be in violation of the Executive Order may have its operating certificate suspended or revoked or may be subject to a penalty for non-compliance of $2,000 per violation per day. Additionally, any personnel who refuse to be tested for COVID-19 will be considered to have outdated or incomplete health assessments and therefore will be prohibited from working in the nursing home or adult care facility until testing is performed.
New York has the highest population of nursing home residents of any state in the country – 101,518 residents – and yet New York’s percentage of deaths in nursing homes is the 34th highest percentage of any state.
The Governor also announced that the Department of Health and Human Services is distributing a promising treatment called Remdesivir that has been shown to help patients infected with COVID-19 recover more quickly. The Department of Health and Human Services has sent New York enough antiviral to treat 2,900 people at 15 hospitals and will send more doses in the coming weeks to treat 500 more patients, including children, at additional New York Hospitals.
