New York coronavirus deaths 'effectively flat' as U.S. braces for peak cases in hot spots
The mounting number of New York's coronavirus deaths has stayed "effectively flat" over the past two days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday, offering a glimmer of hope that the state may be at a peak even as the country braces for what the Trump administration is calling the "toughest week" yet in the fight against the pandemic.
While the state has recorded 4,758 total deaths, with an additional 599 from the day before, it's only a slight uptick from the 594 added two days ago, Cuomo said, and shows a "possible flattening of the curve" that is "better than the increases we have seen."
He added that total hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions and intubations are down, crediting how people are largely adhering to social distancing guidelines in place over the past three weeks and are following a new way of life, which has upended the nation's workforce. But he advised that "now is not the time to be lax," and that even if New York does not see a continual spike in cases and is potentially at its apex, it could be stuck at this plateau for a painfully long time.
"If we're plateauing, we're plateauing at a very high level," the governor told reporters during his daily briefing from the state capital of Albany. "We are at a red line. People can't work any harder. The staff can't work any harder. Staying at this level is problematic."
Cuomo said he is extending his executive order that has kept schools closed and nonessential workers at home through April 29.
New York remains at the center of the coronavirus outbreak with more than one-third of all cases in the United States and about half of the deaths, which has put a tremendous strain on the state's health care system. Medical workers have complained about the lack of personal protective equipment and the need for more resources, including staffing, as the crisis deepens.
Two field hospitals in Manhattan — one in Central Park and the other at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center — have been operating in full swing to relieve overburdened hospitals.
Adm. Brett P. Giroir, the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, warned Monday on "TODAY" that in addition to New York, other virus hot spots, including New Jersey and Detroit, are set to reach a peak number of hospitalizations and deaths this week.
Other places that have seen a swift spread of the coronavirus, including New Orleans, aren't projected to see their highest point of cases until later.
"No one is immune from this virus. It is a brand new virus," Dr. Giroir said. "Whether you live in small-town America or you live in the Big Apple, everyone is susceptible to this and everyone needs to follow the precautions we've laid," he said referring to continued social distancing.
Over the weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, asked all Americans to limit even essential trips to grocery stores and pharmacies in an effort to curb the virus' spread and save lives. She declined to say how many people could die in the worst-hit places.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams also told "Meet the Press" on Sunday that this week will be a Pearl Harbor and 9/11-like moment in the face of an exponential growth in deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
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