We’ve known for weeks that New York City is the epicenter for the Covid-19 coronavirus. But Monday we learned just what that means. And it’s scary.
Nearly 25% of all New York City residents have had the virus, according to a startling flurry of data released by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Specifically, 24.7% of people tested at random in the city’s five boroughs had coronavirus antibodies, Cuomo said, meaning they have had the deadly disease — many without knowing — and recovered.
That translates to about 2 million cases, which is more than double the national total of 980,000, as reported Monday by the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 tracking page.
That said, it’s important to note that the NYC numbers are estimates based on relatively small samples; Johns Hopkins counts only confirmed cases.
And even in New York, the spead of the virus appears to be easing.
“As horrifying as the latest numbers were, they marked a continuation of a decrease in new hospitalizations and deaths,” reports the New York Daily News, noting that new hospitalizations peaked on April 6, when the one-day total came to 1,734, compared to 415 on Sunday.
Statewide, Cuomo said, almost 15% of those tested recently were positive for virus antibodies, including all those in the city. Far fewer upstate New York residents have contracted the virus than those in the city.
Overall, more than 17,500 state residents have died, including 337 in New York City on Sunday.
In a related development Monday, reports the New York Times, the state Board of Elections cancelled the Democratic presidential primary scheduled for June 23, “deciding that the risk of spreading the coronavirus was greater than holding an election with only one contender,” Joe Biden.
