Cuomo: Pressure on hospitals easing; Javits site winding down
NEW YORK (AP) - New COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York state are averaging under 1,000 a day for the first time this month, the latest sign of slowly decreasing pressure on the health care system.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters Tuesday that hospitalizations and deaths from the outbreak were both continuing to tick down. The daily death toll dropped again, with 335 deaths reported Monday — the lowest daily tally recorded in April and the third straight day under 400.
There have been 17,638 deaths in New York since the outbreak began, according to state figures. The state total doesn't include more than 5,200 New York City deaths that were attributed to the virus on death certificates but weren't confirmed by a lab test.
At the peak of the outbreak earlier this month, there had been more than 3,000 new COVID-19 hospitalizations a day, based on a three-day rolling average. The comparable figure released Tuesday was 953.
"It's still a significant number of people," Cuomo said. "But overall you see the numbers coming down, so that's good news."
The total number of patients hospitalized dropped to 12,646.
With caseloads dropping, the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, sent to relieve stress on city hospitals at the height of the pandemic, was set to depart Thursday.
Operations also appeared to be winding down at the temporary federal medical facility at the Javits Center. There were 69 patients inside the cavernous Manhattan convention center Tuesday, according to the Cuomo administration. The Pentagon said patients were in the process of being transferred to local hospitals with an expected "completion of mission" around Friday. A Cuomo aide said Javits will be able to be used as a medical center, if needed.
Cuomo traveled to Syracuse, New York, as he continued to sketch out the steps regions of the state need to take to restart local economies.
Cuomo presents 12-point plan
Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined a 12-point reopening strategy, which would be done in phases. Phase 1 involves industries that would bring people back to work quickly. Two have already been identified: construction and manufacturing. Other reopening steps include municipalities having virus testing and tracing systems in place, isolation facilities for infected patients, and a regional control room to monitor data on stats and PPEs.
Former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos was released Tuesday from prison to confinement at his Rockville Centre home after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The 72-year-old Skelos has been serving a four-year and three-month prison term after he was convicted of extortion, wire fraud and bribery.
Prosecutors opposed his request for compassionate release. A judge had not yet ruled but the federal Bureau of Prisons decided he could return home as a result of the coronavirus threat.