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Hospitals in the state admitted 574 COVID-19 patients on April 4 while discharging 1,709 patients. The number of daily discharges had also surpassed the daily hospitalizations on the three prior days, state data shows.
“Discharge rate is way up and that’s great news,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on April 5.
New York state is the epicenter of the breakout in the United States of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus. New York City is bearing the brunt of the break, although there has been an increasing shift to Long Island, which now accounts for 22 percent of the state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The number of daily deaths from COVID-19 dropped for the first time on April 4, when 594 people died, down from 630 deaths the day before, with a total of 4,159 people dying from the disease statewide.
“What is the significance of that? It’s too early to tell,” Cuomo said.
The governor had ordered the state’s non-essential workers to stay home until at least April 15. Guidance is also in place from the White House, which has asked non-essential workers to stay at home until April 30.
New York state has reported more deaths from the CCP virus than the next nine hardest-hit states combined. Cuomo has repeatedly cited projections that estimate the state has fewer hospital beds than will be needed when the outbreak reaches its apex.
“The coronavirus is truly vicious and effective at what the virus does. It’s an effective killer,” Cuomo said.
The federal government, at the direction of the White House coronavirus task force, has rushed personnel, equipment, and supplies to the state as officials brace for the possibility that the healthcare system becomes overwhelmed.
The government deployed 1,000 doctors, nurses, and respiratory technicians on Sunday, Cuomo said. The White House has also deployed a 1,000-bed hospital ship and directed the retrofitting of a convention center into a temporary COVID-19 hospital.
President Donald Trump on Saturday told Americans to prepare for the deadliest two weeks of the CCP virus outbreak. Models used by the White House estimate that 100,000 to 240,000 people may die from the pandemic by the time it is extinguished.
The White House on Saturday urged Americans to be extra vigilant about following federal and local social distancing guidelines and orders in the coming week, including, if possible, limiting essential chores, like trips to the supermarkets and pharmacies.
“The next two weeks are extraordinarily important,” White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx said on Saturday. “This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe.”
Republished with Permission The Epoch Times SUBSCRIBE
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