Governor Cautious As COVID-19 Numbers Decline

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo again noted April 18 that indicators show the state’s war against COVID-19 may be taking a turn.

He reported Saturday total hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions intubations, and deaths all continue to decline. Cuomo said he is hopeful that even more stringent control measures, like the use of masks by anyone out in public, will bring the infection rate down even further.

The governor said 2000 patients were admitted to hospitals on Friday, but warned: “Happy days are not here again. That is still an overwhelming number every day.”

There were 540 COVID-19 deaths reported from April 17 to 18 in New York — 504 died in hospitals and 36 in nursing homes, the governor said. The latest fatalities bring the state’s death toll to 14,636.

More Cases In Western Suffolk

A case-by-case analysis of reported novel coronavirus cases in Suffolk County reveal the farther east — away from New York City — the better the chances of not contracting COVID-19.

As of April 17 there were 20.99 cases per 1000 residents in Islip, 17.35 in Babylon, 13.87 in Huntington, 11.47 in Smithtown, 10.32 in Babylon, 6.63 in Southampton, and 5.17 in East Hampton. Incidentally, within the township of East Hampton the number of cases tended to be lower in the eastern-most areas, with 3.28 per 1000 residents in Montauk, 1.33 in Amagansett, and 1.83 in Napeague.

On the North Fork, Southold had 11.58 per 1000 residents, which includes a high number of cases at Peconic Landing, a Greenport retirement community. Riverhead had 7.63 cases per 1000 residents, and Shelter Island 2.15.

rmurphy@indyeastend.com