New York's COVID-19 deaths hit 10,000


FE Team | Published: April 14, 2020 11:19:59 | Updated: April 15, 2020 15:47:35


File photo (collected)

The death toll from coronavirus in New York has now topped 10,000 only about a month after the state recorded its first fatality, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.

The state tallied 671 new deaths on Sunday. It was the first time in a week the daily toll dipped below 700, reports AP.

Cuomo said the count has been "basically flat at a horrific level of pain and grief and sorrow." More than half of New York's 10,056 deaths have come in the past week. Hospitals are still getting about 2,000 new patients a day.

The bleak numbers overshadowed hopeful trends that prompted Cuomo to tentatively declare Monday that the "worst is over" — as long as New Yorkers continue to follow stay-at-home restrictions.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus has almost flattened at just under 19,000, once discharges and deaths are taken into account. That's a relief after weeks of increases raised fears New York City hospitals would be dramatically overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.

"I believe the worst is over if we can continue to be smart," Cuomo said. "And I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy."

The first reported fatality was an 82-year-old New York City woman with emphysema who died March 11. Officials initially said she died March 13, but the city's health department corrected the date later.

Share if you like