Special Report

Shutdown: The Coronavirus

Good News: Coronavirus spread may be slowing in New York

Gov. Andrew Cuomo at today’s press conference.

Three days after putting the state in a virtual lock down,  Governor Andrew Cuomo finally has good news to share. Hospitalization rates are slowing down. 

“Density controlled measures are working,” said the governor,  at a press conference this morning.“Yes, they are burdensome. But they are effective and necessary, and the evidence suggests at this point they have slowed the hospitalizations.”

On  Sunday hospitalizations were projected to double every two days. But on Monday, they projected to double every 3.4 days, and on Tuesday every 4.7 days. Out of 30,811 positive cases, in New York state, under 4,000 people currently are hospitalized. 

“Now, that is almost too good to be true,” said Cuomo. “But if you reduce the density, you can reduce the spread very quickly. . .This is a very good sign and a positive sign.”

However, long term effects such as serious economic downfall, still threaten the state. Cuomo criticized the Senate’s potential $2 trillion dollar stimulus package, which would provide New York state with $3 billion dollars and New York City with  $1 billion dollars. 

“It would really be terrible for the state of New York..We’re looking at a shortfall revenue shortfall of nine , 10, $15 billion dollars. This response to this virus has probably already cost us $1 billion,” said Cuomo. “That is a drop in the bucket that has to meet.” 

Cuomo also stressed that if New York does not receive enough ventilators, hospitals would not be able to cope. He said  New York needs 30,000 ventilators, but currently has 3,000. The federal government will send 4,000, but they withholding ventilators is not to blame for the shortage. This is a sudden switch in rhetoric for the governor, who lashed out at FEMA Tuesday morning, at the time promising to send only 400 ventilators to the state.

“What we’re working on is a common challenge. No one has these ventilators and no one ever anticipated a situation where you would need this number of ventilators to deal with a public health emergency,” said Cuomo “We have purchased everything that can be purchased.”

Cuomo pushed the need for production of ventilators, saying that in his recent discussion with President Trump, companies such as General Motors could be utilized to make this necessary equipment.

“The problem is our timeline is so short, we’re looking at an apex of 21 days in that range,” he said. “He suggested that instead of equally dividing equipment, the federal government should prioritize necessary material to the country’s biggest “hotspot”, first being New York City.

“As soon as we get past our critical moment, we will redeploy that equipment and personnel to the next hotspots,” he said “And I will personally guarantee it and personally manage it. We’re asking the country to help us. We will return the favor. And we are all in this together.”

 

Author


Tags


Other Stories in Special Report: Shutdown: The Coronavirus

Life returns to the East Village

Quincy Walter May 5, 2021

Reopening for Ramadan

Hassan Abbas May 4, 2021

And the band played on

Xavier Bartaburu May 2, 2021

Queens residents mourn at Covid vigil

Annie Burky May 2, 2021

Floating for Free: COVID and the Staten Island Ferry

Trish Rooney May 2, 2021

COVID-19 has left many Black and Hispanic landlords in serious debt

Norah Hogan April 24, 2021

Village East movie theater reopens to the public

Inga Parkel April 13, 2021

Chinese adoptions halted by COVID

Inga Parkel March 24, 2021

Remote is the new workplace normal

Courtney Guarino March 24, 2021

One year of COVID-19 in New York City

Michelle Diaz March 16, 2021

COVID long haulers deal with lingering symptoms and doubt

Kaity Assaf March 5, 2021

Pandemic Weddings

Chuyan Jiang March 2, 2021

Pandemic fatigue 101

Chuyan Jiang February 28, 2021

Yankee Stadium becomes COVID-19 vaccine site for Bronx residents only

Michelle Diaz February 24, 2021

The queer community rallies behind their sacred spaces closed because of COVID-19

Inga Parkel February 23, 2021

Street vendors struggle as New Yorkers and tourists stay home

Norah Hogan February 13, 2021

Keeping the faith in COVID-19

Courtney Guarino February 3, 2021

Little Italy’s restaurants need indoor dining to survive pandemic

Michelle Diaz February 2, 2021

Stray pets find homes and love during pandemic

Inga Parkel February 1, 2021

No Actors, But the Show Goes On

James Pothen December 5, 2020

New York City, a place of refuge 

Edith Rousselot December 4, 2020

Commuting in a pandemic world

Michelle Diaz December 3, 2020

Battling food insecurities during a pandemic

Courtney Guarino December 3, 2020

Adaptation

Justin McGown December 3, 2020

Honk!: Cars earn a special spot in 2020

Luana Harumi December 3, 2020

Working out looks very different during a pandemic

Chuyan Jiang December 2, 2020

One kitchen’s transformation in the age of isolation

Isabel Beer December 2, 2020

Nursing homes are filled with sadness and loss during pandemic shut down

Inga Parkel December 1, 2020

The show goes on

Norah Hogan December 1, 2020

Loyal members help keep independent cinemas afloat

Courtney Guarino December 1, 2020

Musicians deal with the reality of no live shows as covid takes center stage

Paola Michelle Ortiz December 1, 2020

 Black Friday’s Aftermath

Sughnen Yongo-Okochi November 30, 2020

The Spirit of Little Haiti

Savannah Daniels October 14, 2020

Small business owners hope for future relief

Courtney Guarino October 2, 2020

Brooklyn Book Festival held virtually

Chuyan Jiang September 28, 2020

NYC Restaurant owners worry about maintaining business during winter 

Isabel Beer September 27, 2020

The pandemic is causing mental health struggles for many Latinos

Paola Michelle Ortiz September 24, 2020

Politically divided family can agree on one thing, rallies are bad during a pandemic

Michelle Diaz September 23, 2020

New Yorkers are vulnerable to mental issues due to pandemic

Sughnen Yongo-Okochi September 23, 2020

Healthcare professionals struggle with Trump’s decisions during pandemic

Tori Luecking September 23, 2020

Some Americans Say “Not So Fast” on Operation Warp Speed

James Pothen September 23, 2020

Trump voters unfazed by morality of Trump’s Covid response

Norah Hogan September 22, 2020

Trump rallies continue, despite the rising Covid-19 death toll

Isabel Beer September 22, 2020

Latinos weigh in on President Trump’s management of the pandemic

Paola Michelle Ortiz September 21, 2020

Fast track vaccine causes fear

Kaity Assaf September 21, 2020

It’s business as usual at McSorley’s Old Ale House

Tori Luecking September 20, 2020

Trump defiance to hold indoor rallies amidst COVID-19 sparks polarized responses 

Courtney Guarino September 20, 2020

NYC Cafes and restaurants try and survive the pandemic

Isabel Beer September 19, 2020

A typical afternoon at Shade Bar NYC

Kaity Assaf September 19, 2020

West Village staple, Caffe Reggio, remains open for outdoor dining in the wake of coronavirus restrictions 

Norah Hogan September 19, 2020