New York City has reported its first death of a child due to COVID-19. This death is one of the hundreds of new deaths that occurred Sunday night, bringing the total number of fatalities to 1,218 New York officials said.
The age of the child has not been publicly released, but the victim did have an underlying illness. The heartbreaking news comes as the city’s health commissioner warns the upcoming month has the potential to be deadlier than this one.
However, Governor Andrew Cuomo continues to beef up the state’s defense so they can withstand the storm when the onslaught happens.⠀⠀⠀⠀
” If there was ever a moment for unity, this is the moment. This virus doesn’t discriminate. It attacks everyone, and it attacks everywhere,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing. “This virus has been ahead of us since Day 1. I’m tired of playing catch-up with this virus. You never win when you’re playing catch-up. It is a fundamental blunder to only prepare for today.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force Response Coordinator, believes the U.S could see a minimum of 100,000 deaths once the coronavirus pandemic ends.
In comparison to the 2018-2019 flu season, which claimed 34,200 lives, per the CDC, Fauci tells CNN,” This outbreak is clearly worse than that.”
New York is the country’s epicenter, accounting for more than 40% of all deaths nationwide and nearly half of the nation’s COVID-19 cases.
As of Monday, the state had 66,497 cases and 1,218 deaths. The majority of the city’s patients are younger than 50, and 42% of the total cases are people between the ages of 18 and 44.
Most of the state’s fatalities have been individuals older than 65, with 98% having underlying conditions.
” We’ve lost more than 1,000 New Yorkers,” Cuomo said Monday.” To me, we’re beyond ‘staggering’ already. We’ve reached ‘staggering.’ The point is to save every life that we can, that’s what this is all about.”
New York’s medical personnel are getting reinforcements, with the new 2,500-bed field hospital at the Javits Center, which opens Monday, and the United States Naval ship, USNS Comfort docked and prepared to care for non-coronavirus patients.
Cuomo continues to work on four other field hospitals in the five New York boroughs.
New York’s Mayor, Bill De Blasio, even looks to have a 68-bed facility in Central Park open by Tuesday.
As of Monday, more than 9,500 people were admitted into the hospital due to COVID-19, and about a quarter of individuals were placed into ICU.
Hospital staff says patients who need ventilators are on them for at least 20 to 30 days, which is far longer than the two to three days non-COVID patients spend on the life-saving machines.
Cuomo and De Blasio have said New York hospitals and their medical staff have enough equipment and supplies for “right now.”
De Blasio said he can’t guarantee that city hospitals will have enough equipment to last through April 5. He said the city had distributed nearly 10 million masks, 180,000 face shields, 1.5 million surgical gloves.
The White House has aided in adding more ventilators and other supplies to aide New York, but Trump continues to question how some of the resources are being used, and whether or not New York needs the volume of supplies and equipment it continues to request.
However, both Cuomo and De Blasio continue to tell Trump, “they need to be as prepared as possible.” Which still may not be enough when the surge of cases crashes on top of the already overwhelmed hospital system.
” If you wait to prepare for the storm to hit, it’s going to be too late. You have to prepare before the storm hits,” Cuomo said Monday. “How do you know when you hit that peak? You don’t. There is no crystal ball. All we can do is follow the data, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here in New York.”
Starting Monday, De Blasio said the NYPD would be spot-checking subway cars to make sure New Yorkers are following the social distancing order. He said those who refuse to practice the social distance order could be fined between $250 and $500.
New Jersey has seen its COVID numbers take an overnight jump as well. According to Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey added 3,300 plus cases on Monday, bringing the state total to 16,636, adding an additional 37 people who’ve died, bringing the death toll in New Jersey to 198.
Connecticut is also fighting a rapid jump in its numbers, with 2,000 cases and 34 deaths being reported.
Regionally, more than 85,000 positive cases and 1,450 deaths have been reported. All three states had their disaster declarations approved by President Trump, opening up billions of dollars for funding and assistance.
New Jersey is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on three field hospitals across the state to add another 1,000 beds. Gov. Murphy said he’s looking to reopen closed hospitals to add another 1,300 extra beds, saying, “We will do everything we can to get the beds we need.”
Connecticut, who is also in need of more beds, is receiving much-needed assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well.
The Mohegan Sun resort and the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford are two possible expansion sites.
Cuomo, Murphy, and Connecticut Governor, Ned Lamont have all called on medical retirees to assist during this time of great need, and several thousand have answered the call.
76,000 New York medical professionals, from physicians to RN’s, and respiratory therapists, have all come out of retirement, and over 10,000 mental health professionals have volunteered to answer calls on the state’s hotline.
NYU and Rutgers will graduate it’s medical students early to aid and assist during the pandemic.
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