Suffolk Coronavirus: 60 Die; Hospitalizations Dip For First Time

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Mobile testing appointments Monday for the new coronavirus in Suffolk County were suspended as Long Island braces for severe weather. Steve Bellone, the county executive, announced Sunday testing at three sites in Huntington Station, Brentwood and Riverhead will be rescheduled.

We are expecting high winds, making it impossible to do mobile testing," Bellone said.

Bellone said 60 people died Saturday from the COVID-19 disease, bringing the county total to 518.

"To all of those families our thoughts and prayers are with you as you're dealing with your grief," he said, noting that less than a month ago, Suffolk had no deaths.

"It again drives home the point of why we're doing [social distancing]," he said.

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Bellone urged the need to "stay the course," referring to a statewide stay-at-home order that shut down schools and non-essential businesses.

"This is a different Easter than I have ever seen in my life, than anyone of us have ever seen," he said. "No Easter egg hunts this year. No gathering together in great celebrations, going to church with everyone together. It is different."

Bellone also delivered encouraging news: hospitalizations due to the new coronavirus, which this week had dropped from a daily increase of 144 into the 30s, finally dropped.

"I am very happy to be able to report that today, this Sunday, this Easter, is the first time I can say those hospitalizations have gone down," Bellone said. "We've seen a decrease in hospitalization.

Hospitalizations in Suffolk County fell from 1,658 on Saturday to 1,614 on Sunday, a decrease of 44. Bellone cautioned against reading too much into the number, noting that while it's encouraging news, it could turn out to be an anomaly.

"In the context of where we've been and the trajectory, that is a bit of light in the darkness that we've been in and a real sense of hope about where we are going and what is happening," Bellone said.

Even so, he stressed the county still has a "long way to go."

Overall, 20,934 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, he said. The number of people in ICU beds increased slightly, though has remained relatively flat over the last five days. On Saturday it increased by 7 to 548.

"We'll see where that goes over the next few days," he said.

The number of hospital beds available stands at 746, Bellone said, with 121 ICU beds available.

Bellone's update comes after Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday announced he would sign two more executive orders mandating that employers give essential workers cloth or surgical masks when they interact with the public. Cuomo also announced he would expand anti-body testing.

The death toll statewide from the new coronavirus climbed to 9,385 in New York, a single-day increase of 758.