New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday reported 731 new coronavirus-related deaths in his state, which he said was the largest single-day increase amid the pandemic, bringing the state total to 5,489.
Mr. Cuomo had reported on Monday that the increase in the number of deaths had stayed essentially flat the previous few days.
“That is the largest single-day increase,” he said. “We talk about numbers, but that’s 731 people who we lost.”
He also said daily hospitalizations were up, but that the three-day average was down, and that the change in daily intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and daily intubations were down.
“Right now, we are projecting that we are reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations,” he said.
Mr. Cuomo noted that the number of deaths is a “lagging indicator” to the number of hospitalizations.
He said the state managed to boost its hospital bed capacity to about 90,000, up from 53,000, through measures like ordering hospitals to boost capacity by 50% and adding beds through makeshift sites like the Javits Convention Center and the USNS Comfort.
“We have more than enough beds available,” the governor said, while saying that health care staffing is an issue with workers who are getting sick and are suffering from emotional stress.
Among the state’s 19.5 million residents, there are now 138,836 positive cases. There have been more than 300,000 tests.
The number of cases increased by 8,147, or about 6%, compared to what Mr. Cuomo reported on Monday.
That’s down from about 7% growth the previous few days and down from day-over-day increases of more than 10% for some days last week.
Mr. Cuomo also said the state has developed testing to detect antibodies in people who had the virus and that the state health department has approved its use in New York.
He said state officials will be working with the federal government to try to bring it to scale.
The governor urged people to continue practicing social distancing and stay-at-home rules.
“These social distancing regulations are not just pleas — they’re regulations. You can be fined for it,” he said.
He said when it comes time to start reopening the state, New York is likely to work in concert with New Jersey and Connecticut, which are home to many people who frequently travel in and out of New York City.
“I think we go back with people who have tested that they are negative or people who have tested that they have the antibodies… or we go back with younger people going first,” he said.
There are more than 369,000 cases in the U.S. and more than 11,000 deaths, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University. It’s estimated that more than 20,000 people in the country have recovered.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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