Nassau Coronavirus: Hospitalizations Down 3rd Straight Day

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Hospitalizations due to the new coronavirus decreased for a third straight day, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced Saturday.

Friday night, there were 2,204 people hospitalized with COVID-19. The number is down 135 from Thursday, down an additional 80 from Wednesday and an extra 58 from Tuesday, Curran said.

"I'm hearkening back to my old newspaper days a little bit when I say two data points is a trend, and three data points is a story," Curran said before reading the three-day decreases. "I believe that is a real story, and I believe that is a good story."

As of Friday night, 28,539 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Nassau, while 1,109 have died, Curran said.

The number of patients on ventilators continued to drop to 485 — four fewer than the prior day. Additionally, 258 people have been discharged as of Friday. The drop in hospitalizations, people on ventilators and the boost in discharges provided some hope towards reopening Nassau.

"With this good news, we become more eager and ready to reopen society," Curran said. "To get out of the lock down. To resume into whatever our new normal is going to look like."

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Plans to reopen marinas and golf courses will soon be underway, Curran said. Beaches will also be on the horizon, including Nickerson Beach Park in Lido Beach.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday extended the statewide stay-at-home order to May 15, as the social distancing measure, which keeps all nonessential workers home and school buildings closed, has helped slow the rate that the virus spreads, he said.

Nassau's eventual reopening includes small businesses. Business leaders are "very anxious" on how they can move forward and get on the path to running again, Curran said.

"Just as we didn't want people to be panicked about the spread at the beginning of this pandemic, we don't want people to be anxious about how we reopen, and about our reopening strategy," she said. "We have to do it in a regional way and a methodical way. And we've got to do it. I do believe we can strike the balance: We can avoid reinfection and allow society to emerge into its new normal. I know that we can do that. I have found that the residents of Nassau County are smart; they are adaptable."

Curran praised Nassau residents for staying home and practicing social distancing, resulting in the curve being flattened. The actual numbers were not as bad as those predicted, she said.

The county depends on sales tax and property tax, as the two make up 41 percent and 26 percent of its $3 million budget respectively, Curran said. Her economic team ran various models looking at different scenarios ranging from optimistic to catastrophic.

"There's no question that even in optimistic models, the county will face serious economic hardship," Curran said. "Just like our businesses. Just like our residents."

Cuomo on Saturday expressed his desire to reopen the state when the time is right but called for more federal funding so New York is in a position to do so.

"When you fund a state government, you're funding a state government to perform the functions you want us to perform, which is the reopening function," Cuomo said at a news conference. "I get it. I'll do it. But I need funding."

Total coronavirus hospitalizations in New York are at 16,967, the lowest in nearly two weeks; the high point was 18,825. Looking at the past three days, Cuomo said, a case could be made the state has passed the apex. On Friday, there were 1,915 new coronavirus hospitalizations; down from 2,253 Tuesday.

There were 540 state COVID-19 deaths reported Friday, including 36 from nursing homes. The number is down from 630 Thursday and hit its lowest total this week. Net intubations have also gone down for a sixth straight day, decreasing by 48 from Thursday's total.