Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Coronavirus Updates: De Blasio Says City Will Run Out Of Ventilators On Sunday
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Apr 1, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Mayor Bill de Blasio / Flickr
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Apr 1, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This is our daily update of breaking COVID-19 news for Wednesday, April 1st, 2020. Previous daily updates can be found here, and up-to-date statistics are here. Read our guide to understanding New York on PAUSE, NY's stay-at-home order; a look at preparing for the spread of coronavirus is here, and if you have lingering questions about the virus, here is our regularly updated coronavirus FAQ. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; NY State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.
Are you a healthcare worker? Email us what you're seeing at [email protected].
5:30 p.m. New York City hospitals will run out of ventilators on Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a press conference on Wednesday.
De Blasio has previously described Sunday, April 5th as "D-Day" for the city in terms of its need for critical supplies in the face of the escalating COVID-19 crisis.
The mayor said he was hoping to receive 400 additional ventilators by that date from either the state or federal stockpile in order to be prepared for the week ahead.
Since the crisis began, the city has received roughly 2,500 ventilators from the federal government and state. But de Blasio has said that the projections continue to indicate hospitals in NYC will need 15,000 ventilators to handle the growing flood of coronavirus patients.
On Tuesday, Governor Cuomo said the state had ordered 17,000 ventilators from China for roughly $25,000 apiece. Of those, 2,500 are expected to arrive in New York within two weeks, possibly past the city's deadline.
De Blasio on Wednesday also announced the appointment of former police commissioner James O'Neill as a senior adviser who will be in charge of the supply and distribution of medical supplies and equipment within New York City hospitals. Cuomo has asked New York City officials to work on a plan to create a unified hospital system that includes private and public hospitals.
“Jimmy will leverage his extensive management experience and knowledge of the City to ensure that our healthcare workers on the front lines have the supplies they need to save New Yorker’s lives," de Blasio said in a statement.
O'Neill retired from the NYPD in November and accepted a position at Visa as the global head of physical security. With Visa's permission, he has agreed to serve in a volunteer role with the city. He will maintain his job at Visa.
To date, the city has distributed more than 8 million face masks, 2 million N95 masks, and roughly 106,000 gowns, and nearly 2 million surgical gloves to hospitals, de Blasio said on Wednesday.
Cuomo Says Outbreaks Could Last Through Summer
Governor Andrew Cuomo / Flickr
1:45 p.m. The coronavirus crisis could last through the summer, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, according to various projections used by the state.
New York could see as many as 16,000 people die under one projection, Governor Andrew Cuomo said during a press conference on Wednesday. According to the same model, as many as 93,000 individuals could die nationwide.
While New York is currently the epicenter of the crisis, Cuomo said that the virus will eventually spread to all parts of the country. On Tuesday, the White House released projections indicating between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die from the pandemic.
"Just as it has gone through rural New York, it will go through rural America," he said, referring to those who believe the problem was confined to big cities.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 83,712 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide, with at least 1,941 deaths. Nearly 400 people in the state have died from COVID-19 since Tuesday.
A composite model created by the consulting firm McKinsey is currently predicting that the apex of cases will come at the end of April. The projection could change as the models are updated with new data everyday. One of the factors that could help slow the spread of the virus is the use of social distancing measures.
With that in mind, after multiple admonishments to New York City residents over the last few weeks about close gatherings and team sports at parks, Cuomo announced that he would order the closure of all city playgrounds. The order would not apply to public open space.
"I’ve talked about this for weeks," Cuomo said. "It is still a problem."
His decision comes one day after Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would close 10 city playgrounds for failure to comply with social distancing rules. In general, de Blasio has said most New Yorkers have been complying and that he wanted to keep playgrounds open so that cooped-up children could have outdoor space to play.
Cuomo said the NYPD needed to get tougher with enforcement.
"How reckless and irresponsible for people not to do it on your own?" he added. "What else do you have to know?"
NYC Surpasses 1,000 Deaths, CDC Considers Recommending Masks
As more research indicates that as many as 25 percent of people infected with coronavirus may be asymptomatic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reconsidering whether the general public should be wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield told NPR on Tuesday that it appears infected individuals are shedding the virus "probably up to 48 hours before we show symptoms."
"This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country, because we have asymptomatic transmitters and we have individuals who are transmitting 48 hours before they become symptomatic," he said.
He later added that the issue of wearing masks "is being aggressively reviewed."
During a White House press conference on Tuesday, Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the coronavirus task force, said the issue of wearing masks is "still under discussion."
As New York City enters the second month of known outbreaks, at least 1,096 residents have now died from coronavirus.
The city is now the epicenter of the crisis in the U.S., with 41,771 confirmed cases as of Tuesday afternoon, an increase of more than 1,000 over the previous day. Statewide, there are now more than 75,000 people who have tested positive for the disease.
From the start, the CDC as well as the World Health Organization has maintained that ordinary healthy citizens do not need to wear masks, pointing to the shortage of protective equipment. "Facemasks may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers," the website currently states.
The issue has confused many Americans, who have watched people in other countries, especially in China and South Korea, don masks during the outbreaks. In New York City, members of the Asian community were among the first to start wearing masks even before there were known infections. But many pointed to cultural habits as the reason.
On Saturday, word that the CDC could change its guidance began circulating on social media.
The following day, the Washington Post reported that CDC officials were thinking about changing its official guidance on masks, citing a federal official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
But a CDC spokesperson told Gothamist that the agency "does not have guidance scheduled to come out on this topic."
On Monday, the WHO stood by its recommendation that average people not wear masks.
"There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. In fact, there's some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly," Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies program, said at a media briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday.
He and other WHO officials also argued that masks should be prioritized for frontline healthcare workers.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that people use scarves, which some experts have recommended in lieu of masks.
Tagged
covid-19 updates
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]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 17, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. ET
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .