Gov. Cuomo says curve is flattening; another 799 New Yorkers die from COVID-19

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the social distancing efforts of New Yorkers are working, as reflected in the overall dropping of COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU patients.

News 12 Staff

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Apr 9, 2020, 3:07 PM

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Updated 1,476 days ago

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the social distancing efforts of New Yorkers are working, as reflected in the overall dropping of COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU patients.

The governor also announced that 799 people died in the state on Wednesday – eclipsing a record set just a day earlier.

MORE: LIVE BLOG - Coronavirus updates from the tri-state area and beyond
TRACKER: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut coronavirus cases and deaths

He says the state will bring in additional funeral directors to deal with the number of deaths.

Gov. Cuomo says the bridge to restarting the economy in the state begins with rapid testing, but to not underestimate “the enemy.” He referenced how the Spanish flu came in three separate waves and the importance to stay vigilant.

With more than 800,000 new unemployment claims and frustrating busy signals at the Department of Labor, the state is launching a new app that will go online at 7 p.m. Its goal is to streamline the application process without crashing the system due to volume of calls.

"This is more devastating to the New York economy than 9/11 by far," said Gov. Cuomo.

The state has a revenue shortfall of $10 billion-$15 billion, so far. The governor is pushing for federal legislation that will address the needs of local and state governments.

More notes on the news conference are below:

It's been 80 days since first COVID-19 case in the U.S.
Gov. Cuomo goes over the projection models over the past few weeks.
Cuomo: Our health care system and first responders are doing a remarkable job increasing hospital capacity.
Cuomo: Goal from day one was prepare for the worst hope for the best.
The flattening of the curve last night happened because of what we did yesterday, and they before that.
Cuomo: "We had 200 net increase in hospitalizations, the lowest number we have had since this nightmare started."
"We are flattening the curve, so far. The numbers are coming down, so far."
"So far, our efforts are working" because people are complying with social distancing guidelines.
"We lost more lives yesterday than we have to date." There were 799 deaths on Wednesday.
State will bring in additional funeral directors to deal with number of deaths.
Gov. Cuomo: Rapid testing is the bridge to restarting the economy.
Gov. Cuomo says there need to federal legislation that stabilizes state and local government. He says past legislation promised $6 billion for New York, but it disqualified one-third of NY Medicaid recipients.
"This is no time for politics...not here not now, my friends."
Anyone in need of mental health help or emotional support can call 1-844-863-9314.
As the numbers come down in New York City, suburban areas around it are seeing numbers creeping up.
"Stay at home. Save a life."
After 7 p.m. Thursday, state is hoping to have a more streamlined operation for processing unemployment claims to avoid overloading the phone lines at Department of Labor.
Gov. Cuomo: "This is more devastating to the New York economy than 9/11 by far."