Suffolk Coronavirus: Ventilator Race; Landscapers 'Essential'

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A dire race for supplies is underway across New York as the peak number of cases of the new coronavirus is now expected to be higher than previously predicted — and could be just two weeks away, far earlier than initially thought, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. With 25,665 cases, New York has five times more than anywhere else in the nation, the governor said in his grim update. There are 3,234 people hospitalized in the state and 756 receiving intensive care treatment.

The numbers climbed again in Suffolk County and a fifth death was reported at the Peconic Landing retirement community in Greenport. Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus, but has no symptoms; he is working from home, according to Newsday.

Also locally, landscapers and builders are now considered "essential," according to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. The landscaping industry can continue operating in order to maintain lawns and protect against public health threats such as ticks. It does not allow for landscapers to perform work such as ornamental planting.

"Scouring the globe" for ventilators

"The change in circumstances is not encouraging," Cuomo said, speaking from the Javits Convention Center — with 5,707 new cases reported Tuesday.

As many as 140,000 hospital beds will be needed, he said, noting the rate of spread is doubling every three days. The state currently has closer to 50,000 hospital beds.

"I will turn this state upside down to get the number of beds we need," he said.

The spread of the coronavirus, once compared to a freight train, is now likened to a "bullet train," he said.

"We are not slowing it and it is accelerating on its own," Cuomo said.

Cuomo once again called for the federal government to use the Federal Defense Production Act to force businesses to make equipment.

On Monday, he issued an order for hospitals to increase. capacity by at least 50 percent. But even if capacity doubled, that only gives 100,000 beds when New York needs 140,000, he said.

Cuomo is looking not just at hospital sites at the Javits Convention Center, SUNY Stony Brook, the Westchester Convention Center and SUNY / Old Westbury but at all CUNY and SUNY campuses and at taking over hotels. He's calling on all retired medical professionals to come forward.

And there's a dire need for ventilators. The state is "scouring the globe" and has secured 7,000 ventilators, but New York needs about 30,000.

"This is a critical and desperate need," Cuomo said, chiding the Federal Emergency Management Agency for sending the state 400 ventilators. "What am I going to do with 400 ventilators? We need 30,000."

He discussed sharing one ventilator with two patients, an experimental concept.

But federal help is essential and said the defense production act, where companies are ordered to produce necessary supplies, needs to be invoked.

"Not to exercise that power is inexplicable to me," he said.

The federal government has 20,000 ventilators in its stockpile that should be released immediately to New York, where coronavirus cases are 10 times higher, he said. After New York has reached its apex, those ventilators should be sent to where the need then arises, Cuomo said. "Release the ventilators to New York. New York is the canary in the coal mine."

He then discussed President Donald Trump's ideas on the economy but said: "If you ask the American people to choose between public health and the economy then it's no contest. No American is going to accelerate the economy at the expense of human life."

Cuomo has also about the need not only to address economic viability. He suggested a new approach, based on the theory of risk stratification, might be considered, where those whose coronavirus cases have resolved can go back to work; perhaps the young should not be quarantined with seniors and those who have recovered can go back to work.

Looking for help

Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming said Monday that the Suffolk County Medical Reserve Corps. is looking not just for medical professionals but those who want to lend support services.

Also on Monday, Suffolk County Steve Bellone held a Facebook live Town Hall.

And despite being forced to close down or curtail operation, small businesses gave back to help hospitals and seniors in need on the East End, in Huntington, and in Port Washington, where a dress maker turned mask maker to help.

As the number of confirmed positive cases of coronavirus continues to spike at 1,880 in Suffolk County— with a new death reported, bringing the county total to 13 — Cuomo and Bellone spoke Monday about how to breathe new life after an "economic crisis" that will leave small businesses struggling to stay afloat.

The most recent death reported was a woman in her 80s who passed away at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown, Bellone said.

The first spotlight, Bellone emphasized, needs to be focused on the public health crisis that has sparked a desperate race to secure personal protective equipment and expand hospital facilities as the numbers continue to rise, due to ramped up testing. Countywide, 116 are hospitalized with 38 in ICU. As the "surge" in patients hits hospitals, there will be a dire need for beds, ventilators and space, which led to Cuomo's mandate Monday that all hospitals must expand by 50 percent.

Also, Bellone said, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and retirement homes, including Peconic Landing in Greenport, remain a key concern; coronavirus continues to spread at Peconic Landing, where four have died.

Following is Suffolk County's most current breakdown of confirmed cases by town, as of Tuesday evening.

• Islip: 310
• Huntington: 275
• Babylon: 222
• Brookhaven: 215
• Southold: 97
• Smithtown: 86
• Riverhead: 23
• Southampton: 19
• East Hampton: 11
• Shelter Island: 2
• The remaining cases have not been identified according to location as of yet.

Nearly 6,000 have been tested countywide, Bellone said. He has not yet been tested, despite being in mandatory quarantine due to a key staff member who tested positive, but Bellone did go through the phone process Monday to register for the mobile testing site at Stony Brook.

Economic revival

Cuomo spoke on Monday about the need not only to address the public health crisis but to also ponder, on a parallel track, economic viability. He suggested a new approach, based on the theory of risk stratification, might be considered, where those whose coronavirus cases have resolved can go back to work.

He pointed out that "the survival rate for those infected is 98 percent. A lot of people will get it but very few die from it."

While he implemented New York's "PAUSE" order to slow the spread of the virus, Cuomo said there is a need to start thinking about "New York Forward," focused on how to transition and restart the economy, which will need to dovetail with public health strategy, he said. "You turned off the engine quickly; how do you plan the restart of the economic engine?" Cuomo asked.

Bellone agreed. "At the end of the day we have to get the economy back up and running," he said. Bellone discussed the business response unit created to help struggling small businesses; so far, he said, there has been an "overwhelming response" from those calling 311 or filling out nearly 700 surveys, which indicated that nearly 4,000 have been furloughed or laid off, many in the restaurant or bar industry.

The county, he said, is working to help provide relief, food, and childcare, and to connect those worker with employment opportunities. The goal, Bellone said, is to keep small businesses viable and employees' health benefits intact.

Bellone has also said he is working on a small business employee protection plan.

Landscapers can keep working

The landscaping industry can continue operating, Bellone said, in order to perform, not ornamental planting work, but to maintain lawns and protect against public health threats such as insects.

Supply drive

As the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus topped 1,000 in Suffolk County on Monday and a desperate race ramps up to secure hospital beds, ventilators and personal protective equipment, a new collection drive launched Monday for masks, gloves, gowns and other supplies.

The county is reaching out to industries that are not operating at full capacity and asking them to donate personal protective equipment, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. Beginning Monday, donations can be dropped off at the Suffolk County Fire Academy, located at 103 East Ave. in Yaphank from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bellone said more than 600,000 items have been delivered countywide to areas such as nursing homes, hospitals and fire departments seeing critical shortages, including 116,000 N-95 masks and 385,000 earlobe masks. On the first day of the drive, Bellone said there had been "an incredible outpouring of support," with 40,000 gloves donated, more than 3,000 N-95 masks, 3,000 earlobe masks and 1,500 gowns

The focus continues on hospital expansion — on Cuomo said he would issue an executive order mandating that hospitals statewide increase bed capacity by at least 50 percent — as well as the shortage of protective gear. This weekend, officials announced 500,000 masks will be sent to Long Island.

Statewide, the total number of positive cases now stands at 20,875, with 157 deaths.

A corrections officer at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead also tested positive Saturday, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon said.

On Sunday at 8 p.m., all non-essential businesses closed statewide; to see what businesses are considered essential, click here.

Cashless transit

In addition, as the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus continues to rise, Suffolk County is now asking riders to go cashless and use the mobile application. In line with recent measures taken by the MTA, Bellone announced new policies Sunday to protect Suffolk Transit workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Starting Monday, the county will implement a rear-door boarding policy on fixed route bus service, and will be isolating the first few rows of the bus to create a safe social distance between the riders and the driver.

Additionally, Bellone encouraged all Suffolk Transit customers to go cashless with the Suffolk FastFare Mobile App to help limit contact between the driver and passengers. The app, which is available for download in both the Apple Store and Google Play, is available for use on all Suffolk County Transit buses and allows riders to purchase tickets on their smartphones 24/7. Passengers using Suffolk FastFare can pay for tickets using a credit or debit card, or via digital payment services such as Apple Pay.

Bellone and other elected officials warned against hoarding in supermarkets; the food supply chain is healthy, he said, but shoppers need to stop emptying the shelves in a panic.

Stop congregating in parks

On Monday, Cuomo reminded that he had asked New York City to come up with a plan to reduce density, especially in parks and other area where young people continue to ignore warnings and congregate. He said on Sunday that perhaps certain streets could be closed so that people could walk or ride bikes more freely without congregating closely in parks. He said he will then ask Westchester, Putnam, Nassau and Suffolk Counties to do the same. Last week, playgrounds across Suffolk County were closed, to that end.

Hospitals expanding

The two-track approach to fighting coronavirus, Cuomo said, includes a focus on reducing testing and increased testing as well as increasing hospital expansion.

Over the weekend, Cuomo said elective surgeries would be ending, with the goal of reconfiguring space and securing additional beds and hospital sites.

The federal government is also wielding the power of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is now authorized to build 4 temporary hospitals in New York, including at SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Old Westbury, and Westchester, said Rep. Lee Zeldin in a tele-Town Hall on coronavirus. FEMA is also committing its resources to utilizing the Javits Center in New York City, which will have 1,000 beds, ventilators and staffing, Cuomo said..

Two million N-95 masks have been identified, with 500,000 headed to Long Island, Cuomo said.

New York State, Cuomo said, currently has 53,000 beds but could need 110,000; there are 3,000 ICU beds but the need may ride to 37,000, he said. The state's emergency order mandates hospitals increase capacity by 50 percent, with the goal of aiming for 100 percent.

Additional staff is also needed; the entire retired community of medical professionals will be called upon. Cuomo will also ask nurses at health insurance companies to step forward. "This is about saving lives," Cuomo said.

Cuomo has also said the problem of securing the necessary protective equipment cannot be tackled piecemeal; that leads to states competing with one another. He said he believes the federal Defense Production Act must be invoked. "This is a national emergency," he said, with manufacturers being told how many of each item are needed and need to be produced. "You cannot continue to get these supplies on an ad hoc basis."

He also said that President Donald Trump has declared a major disaster declaration that allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to help states; normally, the federal government pays 75 percent, with 25 percent on the state's shoulders, but Cuomo said Sunday he and other states couldn't bear the cost. On Monday, he said Trump had agreed to waive that 25 percent to New York.

Cuomo also said the new experimental drug therapy would be rolled out this week.

"Things continue to move at a rapid pace," Bellone said.