The number of New Yorkers needing ventilators remained stable from Monday to Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this morning.
The total of New Yorkers intubated across the city’s public hospital system was 830 on both days, the mayor said.
“We want to report something good like we want to report the tough stuff, but it’s too early to call it a pattern or trend… we don’t want to give people the wrong sense of things,” de Blasio said during a press conference outside of Lower Manhattan’s P.S. 1 Alfred E. Smith School.
“It’s buying us some time to get more ventilators and to get ahead of things,” the mayor added.
As of 9:30 a.m. April 7, the number of novel coronavirus cases in New York City had jumped to 72,324, with the number of reported deaths due to complications from the virus reaching 3,202, according to the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene. Statewide, 5,489 COVID-19 patients have died, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo, with the overnight increase since Monday of 731 marking the highest level since the outbreak began here last month.
Queens still leads as the borough with the largest number of reported cases at 24,115, followed by Brooklyn with 19,499 reported cases, the Bronx with 14,421 cases, Manhattan with 10,098 cases, and Staten Island with 4,154 cases.
“This is a testament that social distancing and sheltering in place is clearly having an impact,” de Blasio said of the halt in the rising level of ventilator demand.
At the same time, the mayor warned that New Yorkers should not become complacent.
“No one should let down their guard, no one should stop taking precautions,” he emphasized.
