NEW YORK (AP) – The daily increase in coronavirus deaths in New York state has dropped under 550 for the first time in over two weeks as hospitalizations continue to decline, Cuomo said Saturday.
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But the crisis is far from over: Hospitals are still reporting nearly 2,000 new COVID-19 patients per day, and nursing homes remain a “feeding frenzy for this virus,” he said.
While the crush of patients has eased somewhat in emergency rooms, “that doesn’t mean happy days are here again,” the Democrat said at a news briefing. “We are not at a point when we are going to be reopening anything immediately.”
The state logged 540 deaths Friday from COVID-19, the lowest number since April 1.
Nearly 13,000 New Yorkers in all have died since the state’s first coronavirus case was reported March 1, the governor said. The state total doesn’t include more than 4,000 New York City deaths that were blamed on the virus on death certificates but weren’t confirmed by a lab test.
More than 2,700 people in New York nursing homes have lost their lives, more by far than in any other state.
Cuomo noted that the facilities are under pressure from staff shortages and illness and residents’ fragility.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with underlying health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
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LOVE AND MARRIAGE
Many marriage bureaus have been closed because of the health emergency, leaving couples unable to get licenses because the state requires the betrothed to complete their application in person.
But Cuomo is going to order that provision waived to let couples apply remotely, his office said Saturday. The state will also enable town and city clerks to conduct weddings by video.
“There is now no excuse when the question comes up for marriage. No excuse. You can do it by Zoom. Yes or no,” the governor said with a chuckle.
Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked at a news briefing about the possibility of online marriage applications, particularly for any couples seeking to wed so they could share health insurance after a job loss. Officials have said an estimated half-million city residents are out of work or likely to lose their jobs soon.
De Blasio said the online application idea was worth exploring, but he stressed that there are other ways for residents to get health insurance, including through the city’s NYC Care program.
“We don’t want people to feel like, ‘Oh, my God, unless I’m married, I can’t get on someone’s plan, I have no options,’” he said.