New Virus Testing Sites in Wyandanch and N. Amityville Open on Thursday
While the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 increased for the first time in three days, the increase is still smaller than it had been and suggests that Suffolk County may still be approaching a peak.
An additional 13 people entered hospitals in the last day, bringing the total number of people battling the virus in Suffolk County facilities to 1,608.
“What that starts to look like is that we are flattening and maybe plateauing at this level,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said on a conference call with reporters. “If a flattening is occurring, that is a good thing.”
Indeed, the number of people in Intensive Care Units declined by eight, to 531.
The capacity for hospital beds is at 3,379, with 607 beds currently available, including 98 ICU beds.
At the same time, 108 people who had been in the hospital have been discharged in the last day.
Fatalities continue to rise, with 40 people dying from the coronavirus over the past day, bringing the total for the county to 608.
After shutting down three testing sites yesterday because of heavy winds and rain, the county reopened three hotspot testing sites at Huntington Station, Riverhead and Brentwood. This Thursday, the county plans to open additional by-appointment mobile testing facilities at Wyandanch and North Amityville.
The county continues to look for supplies for health care workers. Bellone said his office procured more than 2,000 face shields, about 14,000 N95 masks and 810 gowns, which is “not nearly enough. We need more gowns,” he said.
The county also received 5,000 masks from All Hands and Heart, a group that addresses the immediate and long term needs of communities affected by natural disasters. Bellone thanked their principal, Adam Haber, who helped coordinate the delivery of those masks.
Suffolk County delivered masks to grocery workers today as well.
The county is participating in a campaign to thank transit workers on Thursday at 3 p.m. Bellone encouraged people who hear the sounds of train, bus, or ferry horns to go to social media to share what they hear, through #soundthehorn or #heroesmovingheroes.
Throughout New York State, over 88 percent of the 10,834 fatalities had at least one other underlying medical condition, which includes hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, cancer, and congestive heart failure, among others.
In Suffolk County, the number of fatalities linked to complications from coronavirus in nursing homes was 155, while the number in adult care facilities was 97, brining the total to 252, according to figures from the New York State Department of Health. That means that over 40 percent of the deaths in Suffolk County were in nursing homes or adult care centers.
“The virus attacks this exact population of individuals: the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions,” Bellone said.
The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Suffolk County stands at 22,691, which is up 744 over the last 24 hours.
Separately, Stony Brook University Hospital announced that over 1,853 people had contributed $669,388 to the hospitals’s Coronavirus Crisis Challenge. The fundraising goal is $750,000.
Investors Bank and its Foundation contributed $100,00 to cover part of the cost of erecting and equipping a field hospital that will have over 1,000 beds and is expected to be completed later this week. The suggestion to make the contribution came from John Tsunis, former Gold Coast Chairman and CEO and current Chairman of investors Bank Long Island Advisory Board. Investors Bank recently purchased Gold Coast Bancorp.
