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Coronavirus Update: Cuomo Calls For 1,000 Tests Per Day To Limit Spread
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 2, 2020
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Gwynne Hogan / WNYC
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 2, 2020
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In response to the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state, New York health officials have set a goal of performing 1,000 tests a day within the week.
"You’re not going to eliminate the spread, but you can limit the spread," said Governor Andrew Cuomo during a joint press conference in Manhattan on Monday morning with Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Saying that more positive cases in the state would be inevitable, he added: "Our challenge now is to test as many people as we can."
Currently, testing for the new coronavirus within New York is only being performed at New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany. The city expects to begin local testing on Friday and other hospitals will also be approved to run the test, according to Cuomo.
Mayor de Blasio later said on 1010 WINS that the city is ready to start testing this afternoon.
On Sunday evening, a 39-year Manhattan woman who had recently traveled to Iran became the first person in the state to test positive for the globally spreading virus that has affected at least 65 countries. COVID-19, as it is officially known, has infected more than 89,700 and resulted in the deaths of at least 3,056 people. The U.S. has at least 88 cases. Over the weekend, two men died from the disease, the first known fatalities in the U.S.
The Manhattan woman, whose identity was not revealed, is described as being a health care worker who returned home by plane to New York City on Tuesday. She did not take public transit, Cuomo said, but took a private car.
The governor said she was not believed to be contagious at that time but that officials are investigating her contacts.
She is currently self-quarantined at her home with her husband, who was also tested and is expected to also have the virus. The woman has respiratory symptoms but is not in serious condition.
In their first joint appearance addressing the epidemic, Cuomo and de Blasio sought to quell panic, stressing that the overwhelming majority of people infected with the coronavirus get better on their own without any hospitalization. Cuomo said that "over 80 percent" of people treat themselves and recover. He cited a mortality rate of 1.4 percent, which was published on Friday in The New England Journal of Medicine and based on cases in China. Many experts have said that mortality rate could still go down as more data comes in.
Cuomo said the coronavirus response in New York will focus would be on the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. State health officials, he said, would begin checking in with nursing facilities.
De Blasio said the city and state's response had been to be transparent from the beginning. "We’ve been the anti- China," he said, alluding to the lack of information and public confusion at the outset of outbreaks in China. The city currently has set aside 1,200 hospital beds for infected patients who may need to be hospitalized.
Both men, however, said they anticipated further spread, and Cuomo said that New York should expect to see community spread, where the source of the infection is unknown.
The governor said that the state would begin new cleaning protocols in schools and public transportation systems, using bleach as a disinfectant.
As of Monday, the state has completed testing on 32 people, 10 of whom are NYC residents. All have tested negative except the woman who recently returned from Iran. There is one pending test for the infected woman's husband.
There have been signs that New Yorkers have been growing increasingly worried about the spread of coronavirus, with reports of bare shelves of cold medicine, hand sanitizer and cleaners at drug stores and supermarkets.
At one point, Cuomo recounted an anecdote, saying that his daughter recently called him to ask about the epidemic.
"I could hear in her voice that she was nervous. She said, 'Don’t tell me to relax. Tell me why I should be relaxed,'" he said. He continued, "In this situation, the facts defeat fear. The reality is reassuring. It is deep breath time."
Symptoms for the coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Those who have symptoms and have recently traveled to an area with significant outbreaks or who have been in contact with a person known to have the virus should call a healthcare professional immediately.
Tagged
epidemic
bill de blasio
andrew cuomo
coronavirus
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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