New York state has confirmed 721 new deaths from the novel coronavirus since Monday, the highest single-day increase the state has experienced, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected at least 1.3 million people and killed over 76,000 worldwide. The virus has infected at least 138,836 people in New York state and killed 5,489 people.

“The number of cases are not arbitrary,” Cuomo said in a press briefing. “What we do affects the number of cases, our behavior affects the number of cases, we are generating the cases.”

The hospital system relies on sufficient beds, equipment and staff, Cuomo said. There are 90,000 beds available in New York hospitals and overload sites, and the state has hired 7,000 additional staff, Cuomo said. Every hospital currently has what it needs, he said, but ventilators are limited.

New York state is also beginning to develop a plan so it can “restart life” when appropriate, though the state is not at that point yet, Cuomo said. It’s going to take time to restart systems that the state has shut down, he said.

“This is not a light switch that we can just flick one day and everything goes back to normal,” Cuomo said.

In order to restart the economy, the federal government needs to assist state and local governments, the governor said. He plans to send a letter to the New York State Congressional Delegation today explaining the state’s needs and discussing provisions to include in future legislation.

“Every state budget has been decimated by this situation,” Cuomo said. “I don’t have the capacity, no governor has the capacity to generate revenue in a positive way for an economy that’s not operating.”

The state also plans to work with private companies to accelerate rapid COVID-19 testing, Cuomo said. While tests that deliver results within 15 minutes are commercially available, they need to be distributed on a larger scale to reach the entire region, he said.

“You’re not going to end the infection and end the virus before you start restarting life,” Cuomo said. “How do you start the economy, how do you start getting back to work as quickly as possible? (Knowing) who had the virus, who resolved the virus, who never had it.”

The New York State Department of Health also recently approved an antibody test for statewide use. The test allows medical workers to assess whether patients with COVID-19 have developed the necessary antibodies to keep them from contracting the virus a second time.

The Food and Drug Administration must also approve the test before the state can distribute it at the scale needed for the region, Cuomo said.

“It’s not about me, it’s about we, and what’s good for all of us,” Cuomo said. “My health is in your hands and your health is in my hands. We will get through this.”

Published on April 7, 2020 at 3:50 pm

Contact Maggie: mehicks@syr.edu | @maggie_hickss