Coronavirus In Nassau: Deaths Jump 45 Percent Overnight

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Deaths due to the new coronavirus in Nassau County jumped from 95 to 138 overnight, County Executive Laura Curran said Friday. The staggering increase of 45 percent was the largest single-day jump in coronavirus deaths in the county.

Curran reported the numbers at her daily news conference. The county saw the largest single-day increase in positive cases of the virus — jumping 1,473 to about 12,024. Suffolk County saw an increase of 1,408 cases, bringing its total to 10,154.

The new deaths were 29 men and 14 women, ranging in age from 33 to 93, Curran said.

Follow all the coronavirus updates in New York. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

"These numbers are sobering," Curran said. "As we've been saying from the beginning, we've been expecting this. We're on the upswing of the curve right now. We have not reached the apex yet."

Curran also said there are 101 confirmed cases in police departments across the county. That includes officers in the Nassau County Police Department as well as village and city police departments. However, many officers who were sick or quarantined have returned to work, she said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the increase in cases on Long Island troubling and said it is something the state is watching.

"Long Island does not have as elaborate a healthcare system as New York City," he said. "We don't have the same amount of resources on Long Island. And we see an increase in the number of cases on Long Island, and that has us very concerned."

Cuomo said Friday he will sign an executive order to redistribute ventilators from upstate hospitals to downstate ones to help patients who are fighting the virus. The state believes it can distribute several hundred ventilators this way.

"Am I willing to deploy the National Guard and inconvenience people for several hundred lives?" Cuomo said. "You're damn right I am."

New York continues to be the state hardest-hit by the coronavirus, with 102,863 positive cases — more than four times the number of New Jersey, which as the second-highest number of cases.

Cuomo asked New York manufacturers to step up to the challenge and help by producing personal protective equipment for health care workers — specifically, masks and gowns. The equipment is not difficult to make and the designs are very simple, he said.

To help facilitate, Cuomo said the state will work with businesses and pay the expenses to shift their facilities to produce the goods. The state would also pay a premium for the goods once they're produced.

"It can't be that companies in this country and this state can't transition to make those supplies quickly," he said. "I understand there's a financial burden. We will address that and we will work with you."

Curran also said that blood supplies in the county are "perilously low." People are not donating, she said, because they are not going out during the pandemic. However, she urged people to make appointments at a local blood center to donate.

"Blood donation centers know what to do to keep you safe, and they're doing it," she said.

Though the numbers of people in Nassau infected with the coronavirus are high, they could be higher. And Curran thanked people and businesses for following the social distancing guidelines, saying they have saved lives.

"You don't have to be a professional in a lab to be a hero," said Curran. "I'm talking to every one of you who's social distancing and staying home when you don't want to. You're saving lives, and I thank each and every one of you."

Coronavirus in New York

• Long Beach Closes Boardwalk Due To Coronavirus
• 'Feeding Local Heroes' Group Sends Meals To Essential Workers
• Long Island's First Rapid Coronavirus Testing Locations Draw Crowds
• Cuomo: Creating 'One Healthcare System' To Fight Coronavirus
• Long Island Catholic Diocese Cancels All Weddings, Funerals
• Nassau County Accepting Donations Of Personal Protective Equipment
• Long Island Distillery Changing Production From Spirits To Sanitizer
• Cuomo Sets Sights On Reducing Young People In Parks
• Nassau County Releases Map To Track Coronavirus Cases
• Long Island Couple Married 43 Years Dies Days Apart
• Community Feeds Hungry Children After Coronavirus Closes Schools
• New York State Of Emergency: What Does It Mean And Why?
• Coronavirus: Expert Explains Cluster, Containment, Testing