White Plains CitizeNetReporter

WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From the Governor’s Press Office.and the coronavirus news conference Sunday morning 4 PM.:

Earlier today, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the federal government is deploying approximately 1,000 personnel to New York State, including doctors, nurses, respiratory technicians and therapists, to help the state’s overwhelmed hospital systems. The first 325 personnel will be deployed to the New York City hospital system today.

From WPCNR: In the Governor’s daily Coronavirus Intelligence Report, Governor Cuomo expressed cautious optimism we may be seeing a leveling off of the rise in cases, which he said the experts could not tell him whether the number of cases in New York State had “APEXED” or that today’s reported rise had hit a plateau, the governor said it was too soon to tell.

Governor Cuomo expressed optimism that deaths today declined for the first time; hospitalization rates of infected coronavirus patients had dropped sharply to 574 new today (after averaging about 1,000) and incubations (patients going onto ventilators) had declined slightly

The governor said the state had enough hospital beds, approaching the previously projected 140,000 infections in the state, that the problem was not beds now, but ventilators. He again detailed his plan to deploy ventilators from other hospitals across the state. He has not signed the executive order requiring hospitals to do so, saying he was making changes to it to determine how long such an order would stay in effect.

He addressed the Rockland County outbreak of cases in his press conference below, saying he is well aware of the Muncie problem in that county and that Dr. Zucker, the State Commissioner of Health had spoken with the Rabbis of that community and made them aware of the need for distancing and travel restrictions.

The Governor said the Coronavirus “Command Center” is keeping track of how many ventilators are in every hospital “within 2 to 3 ventilators” and will dispatch ventilators to any hospital declining to zero ventilators. He said he personally would drive ventilator to a hospital himself if they needed it and no other transport could be found. He said he did not have a count on how many doctors, nurses, police and fire personnel had contracted the virus, but a count would be forthcoming.

He said the Covid crunch in New York City would be greatly aided when the Javits Center conversion to a auxiliary hospital was completed.

WPCNR Notes: you can see key moments in the Governor’s news conference in the clips in the previous stories below with more details, plus the news conference with reporters where key questions were asked that the Governor answer forthrightly.

Finally, the Governor confirmed 8,327 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 122,031 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 122,031 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

Editor’s Note: Based on these most recent numbers, the overnight day-to-day rate of new cases in Westchester County declined to 5% .

The New York City new cases increased to 67, 551 a day-to-day increase from Saturday of 6.7%, from Saturday’s 63,306, 4,245 new cases today.

Nassau County cases went up to 14,398 increasing 1,052 cases, a day-to-day increase rate of 7.8%

Suffolk County cases increased 1,035 persons to 12,405, a day-to-day increase rate of 9.1%.

Orange County had 3,102 cases, increasing 361, a daily increase rate of 13.1%

Putnam County has 314 cases, up 31, a daily increase rate of 9.3%

Rockland County went over 5,000 to 5,326 total cases up from 4,872 yesterday. Rockland is increasing in number of cases by a percentage of 9.3%.

Ulster went up 42 cases to 332, from 290 yesterday a rate of 10.8% a day.

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	305	12
Allegany	16	0
Broome	71	6
Cattaraugus	10	1
Cayuga	8	1
Chautauqua	11	1
Chemung	38	2
Chenango	43	4
Clinton	33	2
Columbia	51	2
Cortland	10	0
Delaware	27	1
Dutchess	1,077	139
Erie	918	110
Essex	7	0
Franklin	10	0
Fulton	9	0
Genesee	22	2
Greene	24	0
Hamilton	2	0
Herkimer	22	4
Jefferson	26	6
Lewis	3	1
Livingston	19	1
Madison	79	5
Monroe	548	36
Montgomery	15	2
Nassau	14,398	1,052
Niagara	116	15
NYC	67,551	4,245
Oneida	87	7
Onondaga	268	6
Ontario	32	1
Orange	3,102	361
Orleans	11	1
Oswego	28	2
Otsego	29	3
Putnam	314	31
Rensselaer	60	2
Rockland	5,326	454
Saratoga	148	7
Schenectady	128	11
Schoharie	11	1
Schuyler	4	0
Seneca	9	3
St. Lawrence	55	3
Steuben	63	8
Suffolk	12,405	1,035
Sullivan	234	41
Tioga	7	0
Tompkins	88	3
Ulster	332	42
Warren	25	5
Washington	18	2
Wayne	32	2
Westchester	13,723	642
Wyoming	22	4
Yates	1	0

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Tom Roach. April 4, 2020″

 Governor Cuomo wrote today:

1. New York State received a donation of 1,000 ventilators from China. This significant donation was madeby the Joseph and Clara Tsai Foundation and facilitated by the Chinese government and Ambassador Huang, the Chinese Consul General. (Joe Tsai is the owner of the Brooklyn Nets.) The ventilators arrived at JFK Airport today. Additionally, the Joseph and Clara Tsai Foundation and the Jack Ma Foundation have donated one million surgical masks, one million KN95 masks and more than 100,000 pairs of goggles. We thank them. 

2. Oregon Governor Kate Brown has offered to provide New York with 140 ventilators from Oregon’s stockpile. We are so grateful to Governor Brown and the people of Oregon. New York State will repay the favor when Oregon needs it. This generous offer is an inspiring example of the solidarity that other states are showing to New York.

 3. I issued an Executive Order today allowing medical students slated to graduate this spring to begin practicing now. These are extraordinary times, and we need all the help we can get.

 4. Long Island’s number of Coronavirus cases, as a percentage of the total number of cases in our state, has grown to 22% from 15% on March 22. That’s worrisome. I urge Long Island residents, and all New Yorkers, to stay at home and if you must go out, to practice social distancing. We need to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and we all have a role to play. 

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: The media company CONVICTS has produced a powerful video called “NY Tough,” celebrating the resiliency of New Yorkers and memorializing those New Yorkers lost to this vicious virus. Watch the inspiring video here. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here.

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach in his nightly message wrote:

There are 324 residents of White Plains diagnosed with coronavirus in Whtie Plains, but that is all the information we are given.

He thanked the persons who participated in the Friday night shout out and all the persons who have volunteered to help in the city. The text of tonight’s phone communication:

Posted on: April 4, 2020

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update for Residents April 4, 2020

New York state now has close to 114,000 cases; there are 730 new cases in Westchester for a current total of 13,081 out of over 42,000 people tested in the county. The municipality specific data we received from the county today indicates 324 positive cases in White Plains.

As we have noted these local numbers do not accurately reflect the actually count in a municipality on the day they are received. We share them because they are the best data we have been given.

The Center for Disease Control Is now recommending that a face covering be worn when you are in situations when you will be in contact with others. It is important to remember that social distancing is still the primary means of preventing transmission and should be maintained even if wearing a face covering. To learn more about this and other corona virus information please see CDC.gov.
Thank you to all who participated in the #wpshoutout to essential employees last night the response was tremendous. I can tell you it was well appreciated by the staff at White Plains Hospital and Empress Ambulance with whom I spoke. And it was great to be outside and see and hear our neighbors and to feel we’re all still here, we’re in this together, and we are all doing our part to flatten the curve. We are working on another one, keep an eye out on the city’s social media sites for our next clap for essential workers.
It’s hard to believe that the first case in NY was only about a month ago. Our world has changed so dramatically in such a short period of time in ways that we could not have imagined. And I know it’s not easy. But we are starting to see signs that all of our efforts are having an impact. And the cooperation we have seen in our city by all of you and the spirit with which you have met these challenges is inspiring. And when this is all over, and it will be over, we will be able to look back and say that together, as a community, we saved lives.
Lastly, we have gotten a great response from our request for volunteers. Thank you for those who have emailed. If you, too, would like to help in the community, please email: volunteer@whiteplainsny.gov.

Remember we are standing together by staying apart

WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey, April 4, 2020:

Last Monday all hospitals in New York State, we were told would act as one big hospital, sharing ventilators, opening their rooms, expanding bed capacities to corona virus and overflow non coronavirus victims in the New York coronavirus effort.

 It was understood that ventilators as needed would be sent to  them to the New York area hospitals that were in need of ventilators, with less crowded hospitals accepting overflow from New York metropolitan area hospitals. Medical personnel would also be shared.

The Governor and the head of the Greater New York Hospitals, said all hospitals had agreed to this. It took a great deal of anxiety off the minds of people. It inspired us. Now the critics start???

Now congress members, local leaders state representatives are complaining about the shifting of ventilators from the hospitals upstate and in all the counties upstate about possibly releasing their medical supplies, ventilators to hospitals severely stressed and without enough ventilators down here doctors, nurses, police, firemen, volunteers are catching the virus and dying.

Not every politician and business leader, I  guess can miss the opportunity to score political points with their constituents and play both ends against the middle, and look out for their political and business bottom line, by indignantly and clevery criticising decisions to say “Look how I care about you every day. You won’t have a hospital to take care of you if you share your equipment.”

That’s political hysteria without a solution, scaring people. It’s something to say when a microphone is stuck into your face.

It creates anxiety and distrust of the hardest working, most valiant people trying stop and cure this modern plague. The governor is asking just for you to be part of the effort and you will not be left without medical care in a hospital near you.

I thought we had an unprecedented united response to the medical needs of New Yorkers, last Monday. I hope it has not held up shipment of ventilators from upstate hospitals as a result of the “political outcry” that “our hospitals will not be ready for our constituents.” (In fact those reporters who cover the Governor’s daily briefings might ask this question.)

I and 19 million New Yorkers thought we had a deal last Monday.

I was proud the governor and the Associated New York Hospital Association had in one day exerted and got the cooperation of hospitals throughout the state to organize to protect all New Yorkers.

Apparently not.

Please.

Are the upstate politicans, leaders and any irresponsible hospital leaders whose hospitals are down in patients and emergencies anyhow according to state information, now unwilling to share equipment and supplies and most importantly ventilators now?

Why? What has changed in a week?

Refusing to cooperate now is dooming more to die in New York City.

Objecting to sharing equipment, or holding back releasing it is just as bad as the U.S. Congress short-changing New Yorkers in Coronavirus relief, giving New York 1.9% of their budget in aid, and limiting that to coronavirus expenses at that, when other states with far lower budgets than New York State. That bill was bad for New York State and was crafted that way and  most Republicans particularly loved that because they hate us.

Now those complaining politicians up there whether elected or hospital-sourced (I can’t believe any hospital leader would object to sharing and aiding people they want to save), you are doing a very self-centered, self-promoting thing by complaining.

The hospitals are not doing a good business because of the statewide stay at home rule, the ban on elective surgery.

The New York area needs you now and your equipment.

The State of Oregon is sending 140 ventilators coming to New Yorkers aid.

The Governor has promised your hospitals  you will get the ventilators back. 

60,000 volunteers in state and 20,000 coming from out of state are working now and getting coronavirus and dying helping in New York, shoulder to shoulder with New York doctors. They stepped up.

But that is one thing politIcians, cannot do.

They can’t step up.

They can only pile on.

Another politician technique is to claim subltely credit for an act that was going to happen anyway, glomming onto someone else’s courageous decision. That’s happening a lot these days from the Oval Office to many state and washington representatives. See through these phonies, people.

When they lead local people with the cry that their health care will be affected by their hospitals sharing equipment, PPE’s, ventilators and personnel — when the personnel will be covered by qualified medical volunteers, then these critics of the Governor’s plan and  Cornavirus Command Center (far more in touch than the federal government grasp of the national situation)  are beyond irresponsible.

In the words of Mayor Thomas Roach of White Plains,

“STOP IT.”