COVID-19 UPDATE
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced earlier this afternoon that western N.Y. can now begin the process of reopening its economy as the state continues to see a decline in Covid related deaths and lower rates of infection.
“If you think you have symptoms, get a test.” he said. “We just don’t have enough New Yorkers coming to be tested.”
• 47 counties are now allowed to perform elective surgeries as hospital bed availability continues to improve.
• The governor told professional sports teams across the empire state that they should get ready to resume play, without a live audience, and promised to help those franchises reopen.
• The number of deaths per day dropped to 139 last Saturday and the state is now able to conduct 40,000 tests daily at 700 different sites.
• The Governor has made it a legal requirement that nursing homes test their employees twice a day for the virus as elder care centers continue to be hard hit by Covid. More than 4,800 seniors have died due to Covid complications in what the governor lamented was “a feeding frenzy”
Last Thursday New York State became the first state in the country to issue a case definition for COVID-19 related inflammatory illness in children. The predominant symptoms are:
• Prolonged fever (more than five days)
• Severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting
• Bloodshot eyes
• Skin rash
Other symptoms include
• Change in skin color – becoming pale, patchy and/or blue
• Difficulty feeding (infants) or is too sick to drink fluids
• Trouble breathing or is breathing very quickly
• Racing heart or chest pain
• Lethargy, irritability or confusion
The Governor also stated that not enough New Yorkers are being tested for Covid despite the state’s increased capability to perform tests saying “If you think you have symptoms, get a test.” he said. “We just don’t have enough New Yorkers coming to be tested.”
