Nassau Coronavirus Update: Deaths Jump By Nearly 100 Overnight

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — The number of deaths of Nassau County residents jumped by nearly 1oo overnight as the new coronavirus continues to spread across the county.

As of Friday, there were 21,512 positive cases of the coronavirus in Nassau, County Executive Laura Curran said. That was an increase of 1,372 cases since Thursday. There were also 90 new fatalities reported overnight, bringing the total death of Nassau residents to 723.

"Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones," said Curran.

The virus is continuing to spread across the county, although somewhat slower than it was a week ago. Curran said officials are now looking at the county's minority communities, which are being hit harder than other areas. Hempstead has the most cases in the county, with 808 confirmed to have contracted the virus within the village.

There has also been a cluster of cases at the A. Holly Patterson nursing home in East Meadow. So far, 17 residents of the facility and one nurse's assistant have been killed by the virus. Many more patients are also ill with the virus.

"We're in a plateau right now," Curran said. "But we're not letting our foot off the gas. We're still in crisis mode."

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The numbers for New York state echo those of the county. Cases have dropped, but are still increasing. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that 777 people died in the state yesterday, bringing New York's total death toll to 7,844.

"In terms of lives lost, that this situation should exceed 9/11 is still beyond my capacity to fully appreciate, to tell you the truth," Cuomo said.

It is important for New Yorkers to maintain social distancing, Cuomo said. The best way to end the quarantine is for residents to stay indoors and stop the spread of the virus.

Cuomo said the reopening of the state will most likely hinge on large-scale testing. The goal would be to test to see who has already had the virus and resolved. Those people would be able to return to work sooner than people who are vulnerable to the disease. To do so, however, would require much more testing capacity than the state currently has.

"We need an unprecedented mobilization where government can produce these tests in the millions," said Cuomo. "You need more than several thousands tests per week if any of this is going to work."