Suffolk Coronavirus: Hot Spot Testing Back; Transit Worker Thanks

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — As the staggering death toll continued to climb Tuesday, Suffolk County Steve Bellone took time to thank front line workers waging the fierce battle against the new coronavirus.

To start, Bellone said he attended the "Day of Hope" gathering at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where he was able to really interact with the health care workers for the first time since the crisis began.

"I had the opportunity to actually be face to face with a number of those workers who have been inside those hospitals in really intense environments," he said. "It was a day of hope. It was really inspirational."

A highlight of the music-filled event included a spotlight on nurse Barbara Regan, who had contracted the virus and recovered and then made the commitment to colleagues and patients to "get into the fight again," he said. Bellone sent all health care workers in the county and across the board a message of gratitude and thanks.

"What they have done for the community at large is something that we will never forget," he said. "Anyone who has lived through this will never forget what they have done in this crisis. We were worried about if our hospital system would be overwhelmed by the surge but through their courage and bravery these heroes held the line."

The heroes, he said, are a reminder that "through this darkness there is light."

Honk for transit workers

Bellone also launched a new "campaign of thanks," for transit workers. "Without transit workers showing up and doing what they do" essential employees would not be able to get to work, he said.

On Thursday at 3 p.m., a new "Honk for Transit Workers" will be launched with all transit operators across the Long Island Rail Road, Port Authority, New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and Suffolk County bus networks, with all trains, buses and ferries sounding their horns.

The effort is meant to applaud transit workers for "what they are doing, for the sacrifice they are making as they show up to work and risking contracting the virus so our essential employees can get to work," Bellone said.

The public is asked to sound their own horns and also, go to social media with the hashtag #soundthehorn or #heroesmovingheroes, "to let them know that we have their backs and support them for what they are doing," Bellone said.

'Cautiously optimistic'

Bellone said he was "cautiously optimistic" about Tuesday's numbers, with 22,954 total confirmed cases of coronavirus across Suffolk County.

The number of confirmed cases by town is as follows:

Islip: 5,952

Brookhaven: 4,238

Babylon: 3,579

Huntington: 2,879

Smithtown: 1,158

Southampton: 328

Southold: 241

Riverhead: 232

East Hampton: 104

Shelter Island: 5

Hospitalizations saw a slight increase of 13; there are currently 1,608 patients hospitalized countywide, he said. There was a decrease of those in ICU beds by 8, for a total of 531 in ICU beds across Suffolk. Currently, there are 3,370 hospital beds in the county and 749 ICU beds, with 607 hospital beds available and 98 ICU beds open.

Altogether, 108 patients were discharged over the past 24 hours, he said.

Death toll climbs

Deaths continued to rise by 40, for a total of 608 lives lost countywide, Bellone said.

Hot spot testing resumes

Monday's fierce storm forced the suspension of coronavirus hot spot testing across Suffolk County for the day, with tenting pulled down; but the county worked to get those sites up and running by Tuesday in Huntington Station, Brentwood, and Riverhead, Bellone said.

New sites will open Thursday in Wyandanch and North Amityville Thursday, he said, with a focus on outreach to the "hard to reach" immigrant communities where communication has been difficult.

Critical need for gowns

The need for supplies countywide "continues to be an ongoing issue," Bellone said. "We are in this fight for an extended period, not at a crisis level but as we transition into the new normal the need for masks" and other supplies will continue.

The county got a delivery of 2,000 face masks and 14,000 N95 masks Monday, as well as 810 gowns, but gowns are critically needed.

Masks for grocery workers distributed

With a mandate from Gov. Andrew Cuomo that all grocery workers and other essential business workers wear face mask, Suffolk County delivered masks to area supermarkets as a "gap filler" until they can get their own supplies, Bellone said.