NYC Coronavirus Crisis Eases Slightly With Less Ventilator Need

NEW YORK CITY — The number of novel coronavirus patients in need of ventilators is much lower than initial projections, marking the first signs of success in the battle to contain the disease, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.

"We're finally seeing evidence that all that hard work, all that effort is making an impact," de Blasio said on Fox-5. "It’s really good to see at some of this is starting to work."

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in NYC, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

Initial projections showed New York City hospitals this week would see about 300 people daily needing a ventilator — a potentially life-saving machine in short supply across the globe — but the average thus far has been roughly 100, or a third, de Blasio said.

Yet de Blasio warned New Yorkers not to ease back on social distancing policies which he credited with slowing the spread, and urged them not to expect a quick release from the statewide stay-in-place order.

"We are far from out of the woods," de Blasio said. "It's still going to be a long battle."

The good news comes one day after the city's death toll rose to 3,544, a number than does not include thousands of New Yorkers who died at home without a test, and as the city revealed data showing Hispanic and Black New Yorkers were more likely to die from the disease.

"It still comes down to one thing, and the number-one thing still is, that the hospital system must hold," said the mayor. "The place that people are going to go where we can save their lives must get the support and resources it needs. "

Coronavirus In NYC: What's Happened And What You Need To Know

Email PatchNYC@patch.com or to reach a Patch reporter or fill out this anonymous form to share your coronavirus stories. All messages are confidential.