New York reported its highest daily death count yet today, even as hospitalizations continue to decrease, more people are being discharged and the state is “flattening the curve.”
The state recorded 779 coronavirus deaths on April 7, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today during his daily press briefing. That brought the COVID-19 death toll in New York to 6,268 — more than double the number killed in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.
Despite that staggering statistic, NY Pause and social distancing are working so far, Cuomo said.
“If we stop what we are doing, you will see that curve change,” the governor warned. “That curve is purely a function from what we are doing day in and day out,” he said.
“It’s not a time to get complacent.”
“If the hospitalization rate keeps decreasing the way it is now, the (health care) system should stabilize over the next couple of weeks,” Cuomo said.
The surge in the number of deaths even as hospitalizations are decreasing is because the people who have been in the hospital the longest are starting to pass away, the governor said.
“The longer you are on a ventilator the more likely it is you will pass away,” he said.
The number of deaths will continue to rise, he said, because deaths lag behind hospitalizations.
Cuomo said he has directed flags in New York to be flown at half staff to honor and remember the victims of the virus.
“Many were vulnerable people this vicious predator of a virus targeted from day one,” Cuomo said.
The governor for the first time revealed statistics on the race and ethnicity of COVID-19 victims.
In New York City, 34% of the deaths have been people of Hispanic heritage, though they represent only 29% ofd the population. Outside NYC, Hispanics were 14% of those who succumbed to the virus, while they make up just 11% of the population.
COVID deaths among blacks are also higher than their representation in the population at large. Blacks have been 28% of deaths in NYC, where they are just 22% of the population and 18% outside NYC, where they make up just 9% of the population.
“We’re seeing this around the county,” Cuomo said. “The numbers in New York are not as bad as the disparities we see in other places, but why? Co-morbidities, I understand that, but I think there’s something more to it,” he said. “It always seems that the poorest people pay the highest price. Why is that? Why is that? In natural disasters, in whatever the situation is,” he said.
“The people standing on those rooftops in Katrina were not rich white people,” Cuomo said.
“Let’s find out. Let’s do the research and let’s find out why.” He said it could be tied to the types of jobs Hispanic and black workers have, which may not be the types of jobs that can be done at home. Cuomo said he had directed the State Health Department to do more testing in minority communities and get more data from those communities to answer these questions.
“Let’s learn these lessons now,” he said.
The governor also said New York will be adding $600 to unemployment benefits, which the federal government has said it will reimburse. New Yorkers need that money now, he said.
He also announced the addition of 13 weeks to unemployment benefits, bringing the total benefit period to 39 weeks.
He is also issuing an executive order to allow all New Yorkers to vote by absentee ballot for the June 23 primary.
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