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At his daily news briefing on Monday, March 30, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that there have now been 1,218 deaths in New York tied to COVID-19, with 9,517 currently hospitalized. Of those hospitalized, 2,325 are in the ICU. Since the outbreak began, 4,204 patients have been hospitalized and have been discharged.
New York’s 66,497 COVID-19 cases remain the most in the nation, ahead of New Jersey (13,386 cases), California (6,266), Michigan (5,472), and Massachusetts (4,955).
“The numbers are daunting to be sure,” said Cuomo at the Javits Center in Manhattan. ”And we’re going to see this virus continue moving across the state of New York, then the country. As of today, only one county in New York has no cases.
“Anyone who says this is just a New York City-only situation is in a state of denial. No American is immune to this virus. I don’t care if you’re in New York, Kansas or Texas, no American is immune - and what is happening in New York is not an anomaly.”
Cuomo did not release new county-by-county numbers for COVID-19 cases, but made note that the rate of hospitalization is now down.
When the outbreak started, healthcare workers were seeing the rate of infection doubling every two days. Cuomo said that the number is now at approximately every six days.
“The situation is painfully clear," he said. "There’s no question what we’re dealing with here.
"There’s no question as to the grief and loss of life, and there’s no question about what we must do. If you are a non-essential worker, stay at home. If you leave the house, you are exposing yourself and others to danger. You can get infected, or go home and infect whoever is at home.”
Cuomo scoffed at the notion the state is hoarding healthcare equipment after President Donald Trump noted the government sent 4,000 ventilators to New York that are now in a warehouse.
Cuomo countered that New York is simply trying to stay ahead of the curve.
"We've created a situation where you have hundreds of entities looking to buy the same exact (emergency) materials, basically from the place, which is China, ironically," he said. "Our rule has been to plan forward to get ahead of the problem. Don't fight the last battle. This virus has been ahead of us since day one. We've been playing catchup since.
"That's why we're establishing stockpiles now. The word, by definition, means not for immediate use. It means you're preparing for a battle and you have to have the equipment for when and where you need it. If you wait for the storm to hit, you're too late."
During his briefing, Cuomo requested aid from other states that haven’t yet been hit as hard by COVID-19 as New York. The governor requested supplies, doctors, nurses, mental health professionals and other healthcare workers to help offset the burden in New York. In exchange, he promised to return the favor.
“There can be no politics, no partisanship, no division. There’s no time for that,” he said. “This is a deadly serious situation and it’s more important than politics. If there’s division, the virus will beat us. If ever there was a time for unity, this is that moment.
"As the governor of New York, I'm asking healthcare professionals across the country... if you don't have a healthcare crisis in your community, please come help us in New York. We need relief for nurses and doctors and attendants. We will return the favor when we're on the other side of the curve."
Cuomo called on all New Yorkers to band together as the fight against COVID-19 continues to rage.
“If there is division at this time, the virus will defeat us. There are no red states, and there are no blue states,” he said. “There are no red casualties and blue casualties. We’re all red, white, and blue.”
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