New York state's confirmed coronavirus cases surpasses that of Spain

The supermoon rises next the Empire State Building while it glows red in solidarity with those infected with coronavirus. Picture: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

The supermoon rises next the Empire State Building while it glows red in solidarity with those infected with coronavirus. Picture: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Published Apr 8, 2020

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New York - The number of coronavirus

cases in New York state alone approached 150,000 on Wednesday,

surpassing Spain for the most infections anywhere in the world,

even as authorities warned the state's official death tally may

understate the true toll.

New York and neighbouring New Jersey on Wednesday again

reported new single-day highs for coronavirus deaths.

New York state has 149,316 reported cases compared to

Spain's 146,690, according to a Reuters tally. In total, the

United States has recorded more than 417,000 coronavirus cases

and 14,100 deaths.

New York officials said a recent surge in the number of

people dying at home suggests that the most populous U.S. city

may be undercounting how many people have died of Covid-19, the

respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.

"I think that's a very real possibility," New York Governor

Andrew Cuomo said in his daily news briefing.

Cuomo said 779 people died from the coronavirus in the past

day in his state and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said

another 275 had died there. Both totals exceeded one-day records

reported just a day earlier.

US military personnel wearing face masks arrive at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Picture: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Despite the grim tally, Cuomo said overall trends still

appear positive, with the rate of hospitalizations down in the

state at the epicenter of the U.S. epidemic.

"Every number is a face, right," Cuomo said of the death

statistics. "This virus attacked the vulnerable and attacked the

weak and it's our job as a society to protect the vulnerable."

Murphy tightened New Jersey's social-distancing

requirements, ordering retailers including grocery stores still

allowed to operate to limit customers, ensure that customers and

employees wear face coverings and regularly sanitize the

premises.

"We need to continue to be absolutely vigilant and, if

anything tighten, as opposed to loosen," Murphy said of

coronavirus-related restrictions on residents. "And I don't say

that with any joy."

Louisiana announced 70 more deaths in the past day, matching

that state's single-day record announced a day earlier.

President Donald Trump's administration has called for 30

days of measures, including staying at least six feet (1.8

metres) away from other people, that have upended American life,

with most people staying isolated at home, schools and

businesses closed and millions losing their jobs. Some 94% of

the U.S. population has been ordered to stay at home.

"What's really important is that people don't turn these

early signs of hope into releasing from the 30 days to stop the

spread - it's really critical," said Deborah Birx, the

coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force.

"If people start going out again and socially interacting,

we could see a really acute second wave" of infections, Birx

added.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics

and Evaluation model lowered its projected U.S. death toll by

26%, to 60,000 from 80,000 by August 4. The model is one of

several that the White House task force has cited.

The task force previously projected 100,000 to 240,000

Americans could die.

The institute also moved up its projected peak in the number

to U.S. deaths to this Sunday, when it predicted 2,212 people

will succumb to the disease. The revision moves forward the

projected peak by four days, suggesting the strain on the

country's healthcare system will lessen sooner than previously

expected.

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio estimated an undercount in the

death toll of 100 to 200 people per day who are dying at home

but excluded from the city's rapidly growing tally. So far the

city's announced death toll has reflected only COVID-19

diagnoses confirmed in a laboratory.

More than 200 people are dying at home in New York City each

day during the pandemic, up from 22 to 32 during the March 20 to

April 5 period a year ago, according to city fire officials.

The city will now try to quantify how many of those died

from coronavirus-related causes and add that to the its official

death toll, New York's health department said.

"People are dying outside the hospital, unfortunately. It

happens every day," Oren Barzilay, the president of a labor

union representing city paramedics, said. "I think those

numbers, those statistics in New York for deaths would

significantly go up if they tested everyone that expired."

Authorities in various states have disclosed data showing

the health crisis having a disproportionate impact on African

Americans, reflecting longstanding racial inequities in health

outcomes in the United States.

De Blasio said there were "clear inequalities" in how the

coronavirus is affecting his city's population, though the

disparities have been less pronounced than in some other

jurisdictions. Data released on Wednesday showed Hispanic

residents dying at more than twice the rate as non-Hispanic

white people and slightly outpacing the death rate of African

Americans in the city.

Reuters

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