New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference alongside the National Guard at the Jacob ... [+]
Topline: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that the government is working to open a 1,000 bed overflow facility in each of the New York City’s five boroughs and is considering dorms and hotels that could be converted to emergency beds, as the nation’s largest city — now the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country — struggles to handle the surge of coronavirus patients.
- The state’s death toll rose to 385 on Thursday, Cuomo announced in his daily press briefing, while the number of patients hospitalized is 40% higher than it was on Wednesday; the governor said that hospitals would more than likely be overwhelmed by need.
- “We’re adding to the hospital capacity every way we can,” Cuomo said during his daily press conference. “Almost any scenario that is realistic will overwhelm the capacity of the current healthcare system. We cannot get the curve down low enough so that we don’t overwhelm the hospital capacity. We have to increase the hospital capacity.”
- Cuomo said the goal is to have a 1,000 bed overflow facility in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island — as well as Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland.
- The governor added they are looking at dorms and hotels to increase current hospital bed capacity; the state recently opened up a new overflow facility in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
- Cuomo also stressed the need for more ventilators, as COVID-19 patients stay on machines for 11-21 days, more than twice the average number of days of non-COVID-19 patients.
Big number: New York has the largest number of coronavirus cases in the country at 37,258.
Chief critic: Cuomo said he was very “disappointed” by the stimulus bill the Senate passed on Wednesday because it only deals with coronavirus-related expenses, and not does not help state and local governments.
Key Quote: “I find it irresponsible. I find it reckless….When this is all over I’m going to give [Congress members] a piece of my mind.”
