Coronavirus In Nassau: First Deaths In County, Cases Near 140

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Nassau County on Tuesday announced its first two deaths from the new coronavirus as cases in the area continued to grow.

The deaths were both elderly men. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said a 96-year-old Nassau man died at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre and an 83-year-old Queens man who was being hospitalized at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside died Monday.

According to South Nassau Hospital, the Queens man had not traveled to any high-risk countries or been exposed to someone with coronavirus symptoms. He was admitted to the hospital Feb. 26, but did not meet the CDC criteria in place at the time to be tested for the virus. He was later tested and confirmed to have the virus. Hospital officials said the man had underlying health conditions and that they did everything they could to help him.

There were no details available on the Nassau man who died.

At a news conference Tuesday, Curran announced that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the county had grew to 139 — 30 more than on Monday.

Among the new cases this week was a prisoner at the Nassau County Correctional Facility. The man came to the prison March 6 as an inmate and became symptomatic six days later, officials said. The person remained isolated at Nassau University Medical Center. County health officials were working to track any exposure to others within the prison.

The first coronavirus death on Long Island was reported Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to multiple sources.

As the virus spreads, Nassau County is working to expand its testing capabilities and create more options for residents to get tested, Curran said. The county is working to facilitate outside testing pods in tents near medical facilities, as well as drive-thru testing. A drive-thru testing site is currently being set up at Jones Beach.

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The actions taken to battle the virus in the area continue to get more drastic. As Curran was speaking, Cuomo joined with the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut to announce that all bars, gyms, casinos and movie theaters in all three states would close as of 8 p.m. Monday. Restaurants were allowed to stay open for takeout and delivery only. In addition, all gatherings of more than 50 people are banned. Supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations will be allowed to remain open as normal.

"Our primary goal right now is to slow the spread of this virus so that the wave of new infections doesn't crash our healthcare system, and everyone agrees social distancing is the best way to do that," Cuomo said. "This is not a war that can be won alone, which is why New York is partnering with our neighboring states to implement a uniform standard that not only keeps our people safe but also prevents 'state shopping' where residents of one state travel to another and vice versa."

Curran announced that the county's Office of Emergency Management is working to distribute safety supplies to the county's first responders. Over the last week, the agency has distributed 34,000 pairs of gloves, 4,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and more than 40,000 face masks to Nassau County and village police departments. It is now distributing supplies to fire departments, so that all first responders are safe.

The county is also keeping supplies on-hand for local hospitals in case of a severe shortage. So far, though, all local hospitals have reported that they have adequate supplies.

The virus continues to spread across New York, with more than 1,370 confirmed cases so far, and 12 deaths. Here are the latest totals:

• New York City: 644 (187 new)
• Westchester: 380 (157 new)
• Nassau: 139 ( 30 new)
• Suffolk: 84 (21 new)
• Rockland: 22( 9 new)
• Albany: 23 ( 11 new)
• Orange: 15 (4 new)
• Dutchess: 16 (6 new)
• Monroe: 10 ( 1 new)
• Saratoga: 9 ( 4new)

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