Cuomo Reports Efforts to Combat Virus in NY State

By KWAME PEREZ

In just 24 hours , the death toll from coronavirus increased  by 100 totaling 385 in New York , Governor Cuomo said  Thursday.

He also announced in his daily press briefing a plan to reduce the number of patients at hospitals by establishing “overflow facilities” in all five boroughs including Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland counties, expected  hold over 1,000 patients.

“Keep the curve down as low as you can but you can not get the curve down low enough so that you don’t overwhelm the hospital capacity.” said Governor Cuomo

Buildings like the Javits Center have already been transformed into a facility.  The Westchester Convention Center and Stony Brook and SUNY Old Westbury colleges were next on the list,  Cuomo added. He has not ruled out using  hotels. He also demanded that hospitals increase their bed capacity by 50 percent.

New York State cases were now up to  32,258, leading the nation. Some 6,400 cases were added from Wednesday into Thursday. About 5,327 were hospitalized , with 1,290 in intensive care.

Cuomo again deplored the lack of ventilators available to New York and said officials are still searching across the country  for more. He reported that some hospitals have converted anesthesia machines into ventilators and others were  experimenting with “splitting” one ventilator to serve two patients, “ it’s not ideal but we believe it’s workable “ , Cuomo said.

He added: “The longer you are on a ventilator the more probability of a bad outcome”  Some patients that have been on ventilators 20 to 30 days and haven’t gotten better and once those people are taken off the ventilators, the death rate will spike again, he warned.

Cuomo also had choice words about the $ 2 trillion dollar stimulus that was passed this week calling it “irresponsible and reckless” and that it does “ absolutely nothing” to help the state

New York State received $5 billion dollars to cover  Covid-19 virus expenses but did not receive help to cover the loss in revenue which ranges in between $10 to15 billion. “ The congressional action simply failed to address the governmental need.”

“When this is over, I promise you I’m gonna give them a piece of my mind.”

On a sunnier note, the governor said he found the outpouring of support from others for the plight of New Yorkers “inspiring.”

“Easy times don’t forge character,” he concluded. “It’s the tough times that forge character.”