The jump in reported deaths from the coronavirus in Suffolk late yesterday was due to previously unreported “presumed” COVID-19 deaths, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said this afternoon.
The 227-person spike in COVID-19 fatalities in Suffolk reported by the State Department of Health late yesterday (see prior story) was an “absolutely staggering number,” Bellone said today during his daily online news briefing.
It was the result of the State Department of Health adding “presumed” COVID-19 deaths to the county’s death toll, Bellone said.
This morning, county officials were not able to explain the apparent spike in deaths between May 3, when fatalities were last reported, and May 5, when the most recent numbers were reported by the state.
The 24-hour increase in Suffolk fatalities was 25 people, he said. That brought the county’s death toll to 1,547 residents as of today, Bellone said this afternoon.
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