The morning briefing by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has become a daily barometer for all of us who rely on facts, and are hoping for a small dose of good news.

On Tuesday, Cuomo reported 731 coronavirus deaths in New York, the largest single-day increase to date. The Associated Press reports:

But in an encouraging sign, he reported that the average number of people newly hospitalized each day is dropping, as is the number of those receiving breathing tubes, indicating that measures taken to make people keep their distance from each other are succeeding.

And alarming as the one-day increase in deaths might sound, the governor said that’s a “lagging indicator,” reflecting people who had been hospitalized before this week. Over the past several days, in fact, the number of deaths appeared to be leveling off.

Cuomo added that even though the numbers remain high, New Yorkers needs to begin thinking about restarting life, and that will begin with testing.