Bellone: Decline In Coronavirus Hospitalizations, Deaths Over 1K

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk has seen a huge decline in the amount of people hospitalized due to the coronavirus on Saturday, County Executive Steve Bellone announced in his daily press briefing. After reaching the peak of over 1,600 people hospitalized on April 10, there has been steady decrease almost daily, except for one day that showed a slight increase. For the past two weeks have shown an average decrease of 26 people hospitalized every day. However on Saturday, Bellone announced that that number has decreased by 143, bringing the total number of people in the hospital down to 1,175.

Bellone warns that despite this positive news, the head of the Centers for Disease Control warns that residents may be in for a more difficult situation in the fall if a second wave of the coronavirus hits in conjunction with the flu season. This could mean possibly continuing social distancing measures throughout the summer.

Bellone said that the hospital being built at Stony Brook University has recently been completed, but remains empty at the moment due to the efforts of Suffolk residents to stay at home, wear face coverings and practice social distancing.

"Let's stay the course, let's keep going," he said. "We still have a long road ahead of us but if we stay the course we will win this battle."

The number of people who have died from the virus in Suffolk County has continued to increase with a total of 1,042 with 49 new deaths reported on Saturday. The number of people who tested positive for the virus also continues to increase, with 891 new cases on Saturday. Another 147 people have been discharged from the hospital as of Saturday. There are still 851 hospital beds available and 179 ICU beds available across Suffolk.

The county is also continuing with testing, particularly in hot spots such as Brentwoood, which has the highest number of cases in all of Long Island. Bellone said that a total of 1,916.

Bellone also said that the county is working to distribute PPE to residents. So far, officials have distributed over 2.7 million pieces of PPE and have received an additional 100,000 surgical masks and 300,000 face shields that will be given out soon. Suffolk County has also received cloth face coverings from the federal government, some of which were distributed to seniors. Seniors can call 311 for more information on how to obtain face coverings.

Golf courses in the county will be opening starting on Monday with new social distancing guidelines. Tee times will be spread out for 15 minutes and no golf carts will be allowed.