Coronavirus: Long Island 2nd In State For New Hospitalizations
LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island is second only to New York City for the number of new patients being hospitalized on a daily basis, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
Cuomo said the state asked hospitals to survey who was coming in for treatment to better target efforts and determine where new cases were originating from; a total of 1,269 people in 113 hospitals surveyed statewide over three days brought to light new data that indicated that Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island accounted for 18 percent of new hospital admissions over a three-day period; Manhattan accounted for 21 percent.
(Courtesy ny.gov)
On Thursday, when the total number of deaths statewide over a 24 hour period was 232, Cuomo said decisions on reopening need to be based on information and data.
In New York State overall, numbers are going down, while across the nation, numbers continue to rise.
(Courtesy ny.gov)
A disproportionate number of cases were reported downstate and in minority communities; in New York City that number was higher in the African American and Latino communities, Cuomo said.
Other statistics were "a surprise," he said, including that 66 percent of cases reported were people who were at home, not working or traveling, predominantly among non-essential employees and among individuals 51 and older. A total of 84 percent were at home and not taking public transportation, he said; 37 percent were retired and 46 percent unemployed, he said.
"Much of what this comes down to is what you are doing to protect yourself," Cuomo said, adding that wearing face coverings, using hand sanitizer, and staying home were critical.
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With Long Island lagging on key data points necessary to reopen and contract tracing software for contract tracing not yet available, Cuomo said the state is working with regions to get the contact tracing system up and running so that people can be tested and then, isolated, with contacts traced.
The new data, he said, helps to isolate "hot spot zones" and target areas where the new infections are originating, he said.
Once the testing and tracing program is up and running it must be institutionalized, Cuomo said. "I don't believe this is the last time we are going to go through this in the new normal," he said.
In Suffolk County, where an uptick in new hospitalizations was seen over the past two days, that number dropped again over 24 hours by 62, to 773 total, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Thursday.
Reopening strategy
On May 15, the plan is to open in phases, with businesses such as construction and manufacturing opening first in areas where the criteria for reopening have been met. "Those core factors will determine when a region can open," Cuomo said. "It's not going to happen statewide."
(Courtesy ny.gov)
In order to reopen, regions must have at least a 14 day decline in total hospitalizations and deaths on a three day rolling average; cannot have more than 15 new cases or five new deaths on a three day rolling average; must have fewer than two new COVID-19 patients per 100,000 residents; and must have a hospital capacity of 70 percent hospital and ICU beds.
Testing and contract tracing is also critical, he said; to open, a region must have a capacity of 30 tests for every 1,000 residents, as well as a baseline of 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents and additional tracers based on the number of projected cases in that region, Cuomo said.
On Monday, Cuomo showed a slide indicating which areas had met the criteria and Long Island, where Nassau and Suffolk Counties are considered one region, fell short in all categories except two — the 14-day decline in hospitalizations or under 15 new hospitalizations in three day average; and also the 30 residents per 1,000 tested monthly, with a seven-day average of new tests per day.
Long Island still was in the "red" margins for 14 day declines in deaths or fewer than five deaths in a three day average; new hospitalizations (under two per 100,000 residents with a three-day rolling average); and the number of hospital and ICU beds available. Cuomo has said hospitals must be at 70 percent to allow for a 30 percent margin in case of a surge in new cases. According to the chart, Long Island currently stands at 28 percent for hospital beds and 26 percent for ICU beds.
If a region reopens, Cuomo said, and the transmission rate spikes back up to 1.1, the state will "stop and close the valve right away."
He said that different regions in the state are in very different situations. "If upstate has to be waiting for downstate to open they will be waiting for a long time," Cuomo said.
Businesses that will be allowed to open first are those that are most essential and pose the lowest risk, with construction, manufacturing, and some retail with curbside pickup in the first phase and arts, entertainment, schools and recreation in the final stage, Cuomo said.
Also, Cuomo said, businesses have to have plans for how to keep employees and customers safe, including how to maintain social distancing and other protocols.
This article originally appeared on the North Fork Patch
