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An 82-year-old woman with underlying respiratory issues died in a hospital in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday morning, March 14. The woman, who reportedly had emphysema, became hospitalized on Tuesday, March 3.
Cuomo also announced an increase of 103 positive cases since Friday, March 13 as the state has ramped up the number of tests being administered.
New York now has 524 positive COVID-19 cases, with 117 of those being hospitalized (22 percent), also an increase. On Friday, 12 percent of the 424 cases required hospitalization.
Cuomo said on Friday the state's “numbers are spiking because our testing capacity is going up,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo said the state conducted 700 tests on Friday.
On Friday, New York launched its first mobile testing facility -- in COVID-19 hotspot New Rochelle -- and also received FDA approval to conduct tests at both public and private lives.
"We unfortunately had a death," Cuomo said on CNN, "a person who had coronavirus. She was 82 years old. She had emphysema, and on top of the emphysema, she contracted the coronavirus.
"You're going to see people who are ill, older people who have underlying respiratory illnesses who get the coronavirus. They will be in a grave situation and we will see this over and over and over again.
"But by the way, an 82-year-old person who has emphysema, was hospitalized for emphysema, if they get the normal flu, they're in a grave situation, right?
"So yes, we have a death from coronavirus. We have many deaths of people who are senior citizens with an illness who have the normal flu. So again, the context here is everything."
New York leads the nation in the number of COVID-19 cases, just ahead of Washington state. However, Washington state has seen 31 coronavirus-related deaths after the virus spread through a nursing home
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