The latest updates on the Coronavirus Crisis from the WSHU newsroom:
This live blog is no longer being updated.
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6:30 am Friday, May 22
SCHOOLS - Governor Andrew Cuomo says New York schools cannot open for in-person summer school sessions. All classes must be online. Summer camps might be out of the question, too.
NUMBERS - Deaths continue to stay below 150 for the fourth day in a row in New York. There was an uptick in new cases, with 2,000 statewide, 260 on Long Island, and 156 in Westchester County.
In Connecticut, there were 53 deaths. New cases fell to under 200.
CASINOS - The tribal leaders of Connecticut’s two casinos say they are open to suggestions, but they still plan to reopen their casinos on June 1. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos would have safety measures in place to follow social distancing. But Governor Ned Lamont opposes reopening the casinos. He says the state could pull the casinos’ liquor licenses.
TESTING - CVS Health now has 25 COVID-19 test sites up and running at its pharmacies across Connecticut, including 15 that will be operational on Friday in Fairfield County.
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5:40 pm Thursday, May 21
BEACHES - Long Island officials are moving to limit beach access to residents only, out of fear of an influx of beachgoers from the New York City area. City beaches will also be limited to nearby residents. All New York beaches are ordered to maintain 50% capacity. In Connecticut, cities can set their own rules about beaches.
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont shared the latest stats for the state from the Department of Public Health: 39,208 people tested positive (+191), 3,582 people have died (+53), 816 patients are currently hospitalized (-71), 196,447 tests have been reported to the state (+5,729)
TESTING - Lamont says 13 more CVS locations have launched drive through Coronavirus testing sites. See how to get tested here.
CHILDREN - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state is looking into 157 new cases of an inflammatory syndrom in children--a 50 percent increase over the last week. The CDC says the syndrome can appear a week after infection in asymptomatic cases and affects the whole body and heart.
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5:40 pm Wednesday, May 20
REOPENING - Connecticut malls, restauraunts and other establishments reopened with strict social distancing and health precautions today, including wearing masks in public and using hand sanitizer. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said at his afternoon briefing that the state could be the "Walmart of PPE" with its stockpile of personal protective gear.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says religious gatherings can resume on Thursday if they are limited to 10 people. The greater New York City region, Hudson Valley and Long Island remain closed.
NUMBERS - Connecticut Department of Public Health officials say: 39,017 people tested positive (+587), 3,529 people have died (+57), 887 patients are currently hospitalized (-27), 190,718 tests have been reported to the state (+5,198).
Cuomo says 354,370 cases have been confirmed in New York. 3,000 more nursing home deaths have been confirmed in the state.
NURSING HOMES - Cuomo says he will provide more than 300,000 tests to New York nursing homes, but those facilities will need to pay for administering and processing those tests.
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6:00 am Wednesday, May 20
REOPENING - Many Connecticut businesses will be allowed to open today with restrictions in place. Masks must be worn, and work spaces spread apart. Offices spaces can allow employees to return at up to 50 percent capacity. Those who can work from home are encouraged to keep doing so.
Cleared for reopening are retail stores and malls, outdoor seating at restaurants, and outdoor recreation, such as mini-golf, bike rentals and outdoor zoo and museum exhibits.
STATE OF EMERGENCY - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has extended the state’s state of emergency until June 20. Lamont, by executive order, gave police power to enforce COVID-19 regulations.
NUMBERS - New coronavirus deaths have dipped to 41 in Connecticut. There were 697 new cases, a slight decline.
In New York, deaths have fallen to just over 100 for the second day in a row. There was a slight uptick in new cases with 1,475 statewide, 170 on Long Island, and 80 in Westchester County.
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5:30 pm Monday, May 18
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont shared the latest numbers from the state Department of Public Health: 38,116 people tested positive (+697) , 3,449 people have died (+41), 920 patients are currently hospitalized (-17), and 177,679 tests have been reported to the state (+7,072).
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 106 New Yorkers died of the virus, compared to more than 800 at the peak. Thre were 373 new hospitalizations and 5,840 total are currently hospitalized in the state. The state reports 1,250 new cases, 107 of which were in Suffolk County and 89 in Nassau.
REOPENING - Lamont says he will no longer include barbershops and hair salons on the May 20th reopening date after owners and employees shared concerns about virus safety precautions. The facilities may open June 1 instead.
Cuomo says a 6th region of Upstate New York is set to open up on Tuesday. Long Island has met five out of seven benchmarks toward reopening, while New York City has only met three. Cuomo also said he has been encouraging major sports teams to reopen without fans.
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7:00 am Monday, May 18
NUMBERS - The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports that there have been 1,486,742 cases of COVID-19 in the United States since the pandemic began, with 89,564 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 1,467,065 cases with 88,709 deaths.
In Connecticut, there have been 37,419 cases with 3,408 deaths. There are 937 people currently hospitalized with the virus.
New York has seen 350,121 cases and 22,619 deaths. Long Island has had 77,253 cases, and Westchester County 32,224.
REOPENING - Connecticut will start reopening its economy on this Wednesday, May 20th. Certain businesses will be allowed to reopen with strict guidelines.
Several regions in New York State began the first phase of reopening this past Friday. Long Island, Westchester County, and Long Island are still in the "pause" stage.
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8:00 pm Sunday, May 17
NUMBERS - Connecticut saw a slight uptick in coronavirus deaths, with 69 reported on Saturday after 54 on Friday. The number of people hospitalized with the virus in the state dropped by 57 to 937. There were 716 new cases on Saturday.
In New York, there were almost 1,900 new cases. 280 were on Long Island, and 127 were in Westchester. There were 139 deaths statewide.
PARKS & BEACHES - Officials were forced to close more than a dozen parks and beaches in Connecticut over the weekend because they reached capacity.
TESTING - Connecticut will distribute 50,000 infrared thermometers to small businesses, nonprofits and places of worship that have been approved for reopening on Wednesday.
New York State says it now has 700 testing sites that can conduct up to 40,000 coronavirus tests each day.
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6:00 pm Saturday, May 16
ELECTIVE SURGERIES - Suffolk and Westchester Counties have met the requirements for hospitals to resume elective surgeries. Hospitals in Nassau County can only perform emergency surgeries.
HORSE RACING - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says horse racing in the state, including Belmont Park, will resume on June 1st. However, no fans will be allowed at the track.
NUMBERS - In Connecticut, there were 168 new cases reported on Saturday, with 54 deaths. Hospitalizations fell by 39.
There were just over 2,400 new cases of COVID in New York. Just under 400 were on Long Island, and 154 were in Westchester. There were 157 deaths, which was slightly up from Friday.
CROWDED BEACHES - Officials were forced to close more than a dozen parks and beaches in Connecticut by noon on Saturday because they reached capacity. Officials expect another busy day today.
TESTING - CVS has announced it will not use the controversial “Abbott Test” at its testing sites.
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7:30 pm Friday, May 15, 2020
BEACHES - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo say state shoreline beaches will be open for Memorial Day weekend with social distancing restrictions in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.
NUMBERS - Lamont shared the latest numbers from the Connecticut Department of Public Health: 36,085 people tested positive (+621), 3,285 people have died (+66), 1,033 patients are currently hospitalized (-70), 155,908 tests have been reported to the state (+6,346).
Cuomo reports New York State saw an additional 132 deaths.
REOPENING - Lamont asks businesses planning to reopen on May 20th to fill out a special form with the state to ensure they meet health guidelines. Lamont encourages more people to get tested, saying a CVS minute clinic in New Haven allows for drive-thru testing by online appointment, even for folks without symptoms.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the state Stay-at-Home order through June 13, while regions upstate are allowed to gradually reopen starting today.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the state Stay-at-Home order through June 13, while regions upstate are allowed to gradually reopen starting today. The state posted this dashboard charting which regions have met certain reopening criteria. Long Island still has not seen a big enough decline in the death rate or rate of new hospitalizations to begin reopening.
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5:30 am Friday, May 15, 2020
NURSING HOMES - Nursing home workers say they still do not have the resources to meet COVID-19 mandates.
In Connecticut, nursing home workers rallied on the steps of the state Capitol to get much-needed PPE, and nursing homes in New York say they can’t test all employees twice a week as required because testing kits are expensive and in short supply.
NUMBERS - Connecticut saw an uptick in new cases with 609. There were slightly more deaths with 94 reported.
In New York, deaths fell below 200 for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday. New cases continue to increase statewide: 2,400 more cases. 400 were on Long Island, and 180 were in Westchester County.
REOPENING - Nine state Senators, including five on Long Island, want New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to create a task force to plan how to reopen beaches safely — and by Memorial Day.
TESTS - CVS Health has opened 12 new COVID-19 testing sites at select pharmacy drive-thru locations in Connecticut by appointment.
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7:00 pm Thursday, May 14, 2020
REOPENING - More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers in Connecticut signed letters to Governor Ned Lamont asking him to delay the May 20th phased reopening, saying the first wave of the pandemic is still "raging". Lamont says the state is close to meeting its 7 goals for reopening, but he wants to improve testing, contact tracing and protecting vulnerable populations especially in assisted living facilities.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced 5 regions in Central New York will be able to reopen Friday, according to his 7 health data criteria. Businesses that can begin to reopen in the construction, manufacturing and curbside retail sectors.
NUMBERS - Lamont shared the latest numbers from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, saying that positive tests are up but attributes that to more testing ramping up: 35,464 people tested positive (+609), 3,219 people have died (+94), 1,103 patients are currently hospitalized (-55), 149,562 tests have been reported to the state (+6,619).
Cuomo says New York lost 157 residents to Coronavirus. Hospitalizations continued a downward trend with 6,706 since the day before, while new cases ticked up slightly to 2,390.
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6:00 am Thursday, May 14, 2020
REOPENING - Local governments will weigh their options for the reopening of some businesses later this month. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker says he’s skeptical if Connecticut’s May 20th reopening date for service industry jobs is realistic. Town supervisors in eastern Long Island want beach communities to be safely operational by Memorial Day.
NUMBERS - Connecticut has 522 new cases and 84 people died. The number of hospitalizations continues to decline.
In New York, deaths have fallen below 200 for the third straight day. But new cases are up statewide, with about 2,175 additional cases. 400 were on Long Island, and 140 were in Westchester County.
NURSING HOMES - There’s a bipartisan call in NewYork for an independent investigation into the state health department’s possible mishandling of the pandemic response at nursing homes.
JAILS - The Connecticut Department of Correction has suspended showers for inmates in quarantine or medical isolation units.
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8:00 am Wednesday, May 13, 2020
PPE's - Connecticut received from China its largest supply of PPE to date.
REMDESIVIR - Connecticut’s Congressional delegation wants more oversight for the distribution of Remdesivir. That’s the antiviral drug approved for emergency use to treat COVID-19 patients. The state has only received about 30 cases of the drug so far.
NUMBERS - Connecticut has 568 new cases and another 33 people have died. The number of hospitalizations has declined for 18 days.
Deaths have fallen below 200 for the second day in a row in New York. New cases continue to drop with 1,430 additional cases statewide. 250 were on Long Island, and under 100 were in Westchester County.
UNIVERSITY REOPENING? - SUNY has created a task force to help students get back onto state university and college campuses in the fall as safely as possible.
TAX COLLECTIONS - Local sales tax collections on Long Island dropped 26 percent in April. That decline in revenue adds to large shortfalls for county budgets already stressed from handling pandemic response.
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5:35 pm Tuesday, May 12, 2020
STIMULUS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state needs about $60 Billion from the federal governmen to avoid a 20% cut to local governments, hospitals and schools and to establish adequate testing and tracing to make it safe to reopen for business.
INFLAMMATORY DISEASE - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says about 100 children in the state are affected by a rare inflamation that seems to be tied to coronavirus. Three have died so far and Cuomo says more than half of the cases are in childen 5 to 14 years old. The "pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome," as it's being called, targets critical organs.
NUMBERS - New York and Connecticut have fallen behind New Jersey, which now has the leading infection rate in the tri-state region. Cuomo says the number of people hospitalized in New York continues to decline, close to where numbers were before he issued the stay home order.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont shared the latest from the Department of Public Health: 34,333 people tested positive (+568), 3,041 people have died (+33), 1,189 patients are currently hospitalized (-23), 138,424 tests have been reported to the state (+5,916).
PPE - Lamont announced that over the past few days, the state recieved its largest shipment of personal protective gear since the start of the outbreak. Suppliers from China delivered more than 6 million surgical masks, 500,000 protective masks, 100,000 surgical gowns and 100,000 thermometers to a state warehouse in New Britain. See how they have been distributed.
CT Public Health Chief Ousted - Lamont announced early Tuesday morning that the commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, Renee Coleman Mitchell, would be replaced by Deidre Giffor from the state Department of Social Services. Mitchell had not spoken publicly at the majority of public breifings on the coronavirus for weeks. Read more.
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7:00 am Tuesday, May 12,
NY REOPENING - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that three regions of the state have met the criteria to begin the first phase of reopening this Friday. They are the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, and the Mohawk Valley.
New York City and Long Island have not met the criteria.
CT REOPENING - The “Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group” met yesterday and discussed the challenges of opening schools in the fall. One of the big concerns: making school buses safe. Connecticut also announced that summer camps will be allowed to open this summer, with strict guidelines.
NUMBERS - The death toll in Connecticut has surpassed 3,000. The state is reporting 211 new cases, and 41 new deaths as of Sunday night. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 30.
New York is reporting 1,660 new cases of the virus. 329 were on Long Island, and 90 were in Westchester. There were 161 deaths in the state yesterday. That’s the first time the death toll was below 200 since late March.
TOXIC SHOCK - Three Connecticut children appear to have a version of COVID that affects juveniles. The children are being treated in the Yale New Haven Health system. New York has reported at least 35 cases, which resemble both Toxic Shock Syndrome and Kawasaki Disease. At least three juveniles, including a Suffolk County teenager, have died.
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5:15 PM Monday, May 11
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the percentage of people testing positive has been less than 10% for the past few days, which he says is a good trend. The Connecticut Department of Health reports the latest: 33,765 people tested positive (+211), 3,008 people have died (+41), 1,212 patients are currently hospitalized (-30), 132,508 tests have been reported to the state (+2,316). Lamont says about 5,400 COVID-19 discharges have been made in the state.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state reported 488 new cases and 161 deaths.
REOPENING - Lamont says he is watching flareups in other parts of the country "very closely." The Connecticut metrics are one guideline that needs to be met, says Lamont, but he says behavior also helps determine if the economy can begin to reopen by May 20. Lamont says he is proud of the behavior of Connecticut resdients so far and "by and large we have to continue," social distancing to slow the curve.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says three regions in New York have met criteria to slowly reopen in the first phase of his plan by May 15th: Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley. See the plan to reopen.
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7:00 AM Monday, May 11
NUMBERS - The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports that since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1,329,799 cases and 79,528 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are 1,300,696 cases with 78,771 deaths. The CDC reported yesterday that there were 26,660 new cases, with 1,737 new deaths across the United States.
Connecticut has not updated the number of cases since Saturday night, when it reported 570 new cases with an additional 35 deaths. The number of hospitalizations declined by 59. Since the pandemic began, Connecticut has seen 33,554 cases with 2,967 deaths.
New York reported 2,273 new cases yesterday with 207 deaths. There were 430 new cases on Long Island, and over 200 in Westchester County. New York State has seen a total of 335,395 cases with 21,478 deaths. Long Island has seen 74,919 cases, while Westchester has seen 31,294.
NURSING HOMES - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered that all Nursing and Care Home workers be tested twice a week for the coronavirus. He also ordered that hospitals not discharge patients who are positive into Care and Nursing Homes.
MAY 20 - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has issued guidelines for how the first phase of reopening the state will take place on May 20th. Businesses will not be forced to reopen, but if they do they must meet certain requirements and follow the guidelines.
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8:00 PM, Sunday, May 10
NURSING HOMES - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered Nursing Homes and adult care facilities to test employees twice a week. He also ordered hospitals not to discharge patients who test positive for the virus back to nursing homes.
NUMBERS - Connecticut did not release new numbers yesterday. As of Saturday night, there were 570 new cases with an additional 35 deaths. The number of hospitalizations declined by 59.
In New York, there were 2,273 new cases yesterday. 430 were on Long Island, and over 200 in Westchester. 207 residents died.
AMERICANS FIRST - Governor Cuomo has also proposed what he calls the “Americans First Law”. He says that companies that receive government loans and bail should hire back the same number of employees that they had “pre-Corona”.
MAY 20 - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has released strict guidelines for those businesses that will be allowed to reopen on May 20th. Lamont says no business is being forced to open, but businesses that do open must adhere to the rules.
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7:00 PM Saturday, May 9
REOPENING GUIDELINES - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has released strict guidelines for those businesses that will be allowed to reopen on May 20th. Lamont says no business is being forced to open, but businesses that do open must adhere to the rules.
CHILDHOOD COVID? - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says a teenager from Long Island and two young children and a have died from a possible complication from the coronavirus that resembles both “Kawasaki Disease” and “Toxic-Shock Syndrome”. At least 73 other children have been diagnosed.
NUMBERS - In Connecticut, there were 573 new cases, with 58 deaths. The number of hospitalizations also declined by 35.
New York reported 2,715 new cases on Saturday. 454 were on Long Island and 182 were in Westchester. New hospitalizations remain flat, and the number of deaths also has leveled off at 216.
CASINO LAYOFFS - Foxwoods has announced that it will temporarily layoff most of its employees on May 31st and end their health benefits. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have furloughed thousands of employees.
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6:30 am Friday, May 8
INFECTION RATE - The infection rate among hospital workers on Long Island is almost as high as for the general public. Officials say this points to the need for personal protective gear, such as masks and gloves.
NUMBERS - There was a slight increase in the number of cases in New York yesterday. There were 3,500 reported, with 600 cases on Long Island and 300 cases in Westchester County. But deaths have fallen below 300 in the state for the 7th straight day.
In Connecticut, the number of new cases increased by 789. There were 79 more deaths. Hospitalizations dropped for a 14th day.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION - The Connecticut Food Bank began distributing 32 tons of food yesterday in Bridgeport. Volunteers distributed boxes containing bread, yogurt, 20 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, canned food and other non-perishables.
GIG WORKERS - The Connecticut Department of Labor says it has received 38,000 unemployment claims from self-employed and “gig-economy” workers since last week. They have not traditionally qualified for state unemployment benefits.
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6:00 pm Thursday, May 7
NY RENT - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended a state freeze on evictions through August 20th.
REOPENING - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the state has reached two out of seven milestones towards reopening parts of the economy on May 20th. He says the big things standing in the way are lack of widespread testing and lack of the 30-day supply of personal protective equipment. The state has met a 14-day decline in hospitalizations recommended by the CDC, as well as available capacity in state hospitals.
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 231 more people in the state died on Wednesday and he says that means it's too soon to reopen the state's economy fully.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont shared the latest data from the state Department of Pubilc Health:
31,784 people tested positive (+789)
- 2,797 people have died (+79)
- 1,385 patients are currently hospitalized (-60)
- 116,174 tests have been reported to the state (+4,727)
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7:00 am Thursday, May 7
NEW CASES - A New York State survey has found that most of the new cases of COVID-19 are in non-essential workers who did not follow social distancing guidelines.
NUMBERS - New York State reported almost 2,800 new cases yesterday. 466 were on Long Island and 186 were in Westchester. For the sixth day in a row, deaths have fallen below 300 in New York with 232.
Connecticut has 374 new cases. There were 85 more deaths. Hospitalizations dropped by 55. A total of 2,718 Connecticut residents have died of the virus.
SUBMARINE BASE - The Navy Sub Base in New London, Connecticut has stepped up safety measures after military personnel tested positive.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS - Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill says absentee ballots can be used by voters with certain health conditions that could make them more susceptible to the coronavirus.
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6:00 pm Wednesday, May 6
COLLEGES - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont released a report today that laid out a four-phase plan to allow colleges, universities and boarding schools in the state to resume on campus by September at the earliest. Lamont stressed the plan is contingent on public health numbers trending the right direction, and dates may be pushed back.
NUMBERS - Lamont says Connecticut COVID-19 data for the day shows hospitalizations are on a downward trend. About 30,995 people tested positive (+374), 2,718 people have died (+85), 1,445 patients are currently hospitalized (-55), 111,447 tests have been reported to the state (+2,804).
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo emphasized that while daily death totals have dropped to 232, the pandemic is not over. The state saw 600 new cases since the day before, down from about 1000 a day last week. He says latest hospital data shows most new Coronavirus cases are coming from people over 50 who have mostly been at home and not working. He says most new hospitalizations were among people who had not taken public transportation. Cuomo says this points to people's personal behavior and the need to make sure individuals, wear masks, wash hands, and take social distancing seriously.
NY TELEHEALTH- Cuomo announced a new commission to "build back better" after the Coronavirus and use what the state has learned in order to build more capacity for health care video conference services and other health care improvements.
RETURNABLES - Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says stores will begin acceping bottle and can returns at the end of the month.
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6:30 am Wedesday May 6
SCHOOLS - Governor Ned Lamont says Connecticut schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York will collaborate with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a blueprint to “reimagine” the state’s education system.
PRIMARY - A judge has ordered New York to hold its Presidential Primary on June 23rd. The state Board of Elections had cancelled it after Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign.
ECONOMY - Connecticut economists expect the “best case scenario” for the state to financially recover would be summer 2021.
NUMBERS - Connecticut has nearly 650 new cases. There were 77 more deaths, including a sixth prison inmate. Hospitalizations ticked higher for the first time in almost two weeks.
New positive cases have dipped in New York, with 2,240 new cases and deaths have fallen below 300 for the fifth straight day. On Long Island, 385 additional cases; fewer than 150 in Westchester County.
DRONE PATROL - Fairfield Police will use drones to monitor social distancing at beaches and parks. Westport abandoned a similar plan due to privacy concerns from residents and the ACLU.
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9:30 pm Monday, May 4
NEW YORK PRIMARY - A federal judge has ruled New York has to hold its presidential primary in June, in response to a lawsuit filed by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
NUMBERS - In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo says the number of people hospitalized was 659, the new death toll was 230 for a total of 19,645. Despite the downward trend, Long Island's region is far from meeting Cuomo's criteria to reopen the region safely.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont shared these latest statistics from the Department of Public Health: 30,621 people tested positive (+648), 2,633 people have died (+77), 1,500 patients are currently hospitalized (+36), 108,643 tests have been reported to the state (+3,313).
CONNECTICUT SCHOOLS- Lamont officially announced schools will remain closed through the end of the academic year. He says the state has a plan for summer camps to safely reopen in some form near the end of June. Details will be released May 15.
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6:30 am Tuesday, May 5
REOPENING THE REGION - Long Island has failed to meet most of the seven criteria set by Governor Andrew Cuomo needed to reopen. Keeping hospitalizations down is the largest hurdle.
TESTING - Over 1 million people have been tested for the coronavirus in the state of New York.
NUMBERS - The number of new positive cases in New York is 2,540 with 220 more deaths. Long Island has hit 3,000 deaths. But new cases dropped to 400 on Long Island, and 200 in Westchester County.
Connecticut has over 30,000 confirmed cases. There were 61 more deaths in the state. Hospitalizations are lower for the 12th day.
FOOD BANKS - Food banks in Connecticut say they are in a bidding war for supplies with other states, much like the struggle for personal protective equipment. They call for federal intervention to take control of the chain of distribution.
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7:00 pm Monday, May 4
NUMBERS - In New York, there have been 324,357 total cases and 24,788 deaths. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 226 people died of the virus, which is less than a third of the fatalaties reported at the worst point in April.
Connecticut's Department of Public Health reported on Sunday evening: 29973 COVID-19 Cases (+661), 2556 Deaths (+61 ), 1464 Patients Currently Hospitalized with COVID-19 (-24), 105330 Tests Reported (+2837)
REOPENING CRITERIA - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo rolled out this list of requirements the 10 regions in the state have to meet in order to begin reopening, according to the New York Times:
"A 14-day decline in hospitalizations, or fewer than 15 a day.
A 14-day decline in virus-related hospital deaths, or fewer than five a day.
A steady rate of new hospitalizations below 2 per 100,000 residents a day.
A hospital-bed vacancy rate of at least 30 percent.
An availability rate for intensive care unit beds of at least 30 percent.
At least 30 virus tests per 1,000 residents conducted a month.
At least 30 working contact tracers per 100,000 residents."
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5:00 am Monday, May 4
NUMBERS - In New York State, a total of 316,415 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Long Island has 71,635 of the cases, and Westchester 29,884. There have been 19,185 deaths. Yesterday, New York reported 3,438 new cases, with 280 deaths.
Connecticut is in the process of updating its reporting system, so numbers are incomplete. Yesterday, the state reported that there were 59 COVID related deaths, bringing the total to 2,495. There was a total of 1,488 people hospitalized yesterday, which is down 59 from the day before.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports a total of 1,158,041 cases since the pandemic began, with 67,682 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 1,122,486 cases, with 65,735 deaths.
MULTI-STATE PPE - The governors of Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island have formed a partnership with four other mid-Atlantic states in order to purchase medical supplies. They say this will increase market power and drive down prices.
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7:00 pm Sunday, May 3
MULTI-STATE PPE - The governors of Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island have formed a partnership with four other mid-Atlantic states in order to purchase medical supplies. They say this will increase market power and drive down prices.
CROWDED PARKS - The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection closed almost a dozen state parks over the weekend due to full parking lots. DEEP says they will monitor the situation and will take necessary steps to ensure social distancing.
NUMBERS - Connecticut only issued a partial report today because they are updating their systems. There were 59 more deaths in the state, and hospitalizations decreased by 63. The state will update its numbers later tomorrow.
New York reports 3,438 new cases, with 638 on Long Island and 258 in Westchester. There were 280 deaths on Saturday.
ANTIBODY TESTING - New COVID-19 antibody testing data released suggests one-in-eight New Yorkers have had the virus at some point.
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7:00 pm Saturday, May 2
CROWDED PARKS - The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection closed almost a dozen state parks on Saturday due to full parking lots. DEEP says they will monitor the situation the rest of the weekend, and will take necessary steps to ensure social distancing.
ANTIBODIES - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that an antibody study of 15,000 state residents finds that 12.3 % of the population has antibodies to COVID-19.
NUMBERS - Connecticut reported 523 new cases on Saturday with 97 deaths. Hospitalizations fell by 41.
New York saw an increase of 4,600 new cases, including 800 on Long Island and almost 400 in Westchester. There were 299 deaths, which is up slightly from the day before. Hospitalizations continue to drop.
FOOD BANKS - New York will distribute $25-million-dollars to Food Banks across the state as part of the “Nourish New York” Program.
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8:50 pm Friday, May 1
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont shared this latest data from the Department of Public Health: - 28,764 people tested positive (+1,064) , 2,339 people have died (+82), 1,592 patients are currently hospitalized (-58), 100,257 tests have been reported to the state (+3,124). The state's Chief Medical Examiner tells The Hartford Courant that 500 deaths are unaccounted for in Coronavirus fatalities for last month.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says another 289 people died. New hospitalizations plateaued in the 900s this week, which Cuomo says "is still too high a number."
NY SCHOOLS - Governor Cuomo says schools will close for the rest of the academic year.
CT STATE BUDGET - Governor Lamont says the state will have a $900 million dollar shortfall for the budget that ends June 30. He says projections for a $2.3 billion deficit for the next fiscal year assume no more federal aid. Meanwhile, the state will distribute another $15.4 million un emergency funds to 100,000 households on SNAP, or food stamps.
ANTIBODY TESTING - Sixteen urgent care locations in Connecticut owned by PhysicianOne will offer antibody testing.
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7:00 am Friday, May 1
PHASED REOPENING - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the state will begin to reopen on May 20. Restaurants with outdoor seating, retail, outdoor museums and zoos will be allowed to reopen with strict guidelines.
SELF EMPLOYED - Out of work, self employed Connecticut residents are now able to file for unemployment benefits. The state is able to do this because of a change in federal regulations authorized by the CARES Act.
NUMBERS - The number of cases in Connecticut increased by 933 on Thursday. An additional 89 people died. Hospitalizations dropped for an eighth straight day.
New York has exceeded 300,000 positive cases. But deaths in New York have fallen to nearly 300 — the lowest daily total in a month. Fewer new cases were reported on Long Island, with 750 more cases. Westchester County had 340 additional cases.
COMFORT SETS SAIL - The Navy hospital ship, USNS Comfort, left New York harbor yesterday for its home port of Norfolk, Virginia for decontamination after treating only 182 infected patients.
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7:50 pm Thursday, April 30
PHASED-IN REOPENING - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says if hospitalizations continue on the down slope, he will launch the first phase of an opening strategy that could involve certain businesses resuming by May 20th. He says the strategy involves four phases with several conditions "based on scientific, data-driven principles":
- A 14-day decline of hospitalizations
- Increased testing available
- Sufficient contact tracing capacity
- Protest high-risk populations
- Adequate healthcare capacity
- Adequate supply of PPE
- Appropriate physical distancing regulations
TEST. TRACE. ISOLATE. - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says a key to his reopening strategy is "Test, Trace, Isolate." He says the State Department of Health is working with Johns Hopkins and former NYC Mayor Bloomberg to recruit and train COVID-19 contact tracers. Applicants will complete an online program and exam to be shared with other states and cities.
TRANSPORTATION - Cuomo says the MTA will disinfect trains and busses every 24 hours in order to keep front line workers safe. MTA will stop train service from 1am to 5am and offer alternate bus or car service, free of charge.
NUMBERS - Cuomo says New York reported its lowest one-day death toll since the end of last month, with 306 people who died, compared to 330 reported the day before. New hospitalizations declined after an increase on Wednesday. For the 17th day in a row, the number of patients hospitalized went down and reached below 12,000. The state has more than 300,000 confirmed cases and ran 900,000 tests.
Lamont shared Connecticut Department of Health data on Thursday that shows: 27,700 people tested positive (+933), 2,257 people have died (+89), 1,650 patients are currently hospitalized (-41), 97,133 tests have been reported to the state (+2,315).
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7:00 am Thursday, April 30
DISABILITY RIGHTS - Disability rights advocates say Connecticut hasn’t done enough to ensure people with intellectual disabilities can bring one support person with them if they need hospital care during the pandemic.
IMMIGRATION - Another group that advocates say is left out of pandemic relief are the estimated 100,000 undocumented workers in Connecticut. Several groups have called on Governor Ned Lamont to create a $120 million relief fund for them.
NUMBERS - Connecticut had a slight uptick in the number of new cases. The state had 455 on Wednesday with 79 deaths, including a third inmate.
Deaths in New York have fallen below 400 for the fourth day in a row. Statewide, there was a slight uptick in new cases with over 3,100 additional cases; On Long Island, there were 960 new cases. Westchester County had 380 more cases.
PREGNANT WOMEN - A state task force in New York has made recommendations that would require all pregnant mothers to be tested for the coronavirus.
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6:30 pm Wednesday. April 29
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the death rate has remained relatively stable, with 330 more people dying since the day before. That's compared to 335 deaths on Tuesday and 337 on Monday. Cuomo says new patients admitted to hospitals went up slightly, and the state needs a two-week decline in hospitalizations in order to begin reopening, according to federal standards.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said hospitalization numbers statewide declined again, continuing since last week. However, hospitalizations in eastern Connecticut are rising. The state's Department of Public Health reports these overall numbers:
26,767 people tested positive (+455)
2,168 people have died (+79)
1,691 patients are currently hospitalized (-41)
94,818 tests have been reported to the state (+2,073)
TESTING - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state is testing about 30,000 people a day, just shy of his goal to test 40,000 a day. Cuomo notes that the state is testing "more than most countries."
RECOVERY- Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz is leading a statewide effort to appoint community leaders in each town that will help spearhead economic recovery. The town committees will be similar to those launched during recovery from Superstorm Sandy.
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7:30 am Wednesday. April 29
CHILDCARE - The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood has launched a program for frontline workers, including grocery store workers, who struggle with the costs of child care.
NUMBERS - Tuesday was the single-lowest day of new cases in Connecticut in weeks: 315 additional positive cases with 77 more deaths.
Fatalities in New York have fallen below 400 for the third day in a row. New cases also continue to drop statewide with over 3,100 additional cases; Westchester County, 240 more cases.
Suffolk County’s infection rate is also in decline, but new cases on eastern Long Island continue to increase. So, a COVID-19 testing site will open in the Village of Southampton this week.
BUSINESS LOANS - The chief financial officer of New York has earmarked $50 million of the state pension fund for struggling small businesses to apply for loans.
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5:00 pm Tuesday, April 28
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has the latest Coronavirus updates from the State Department of Public Health: 26,312 people tested positive (+315), 2,089 people have died (+77), 1,732 patients are currently hospitalized (-26), 92,745 tests have been reported to the state (+1,999). Lamont says the state saw the lowest positive case numbers in one day since the past several weeks, despite having tested about 2,000 people in the past day. He says and hospitals are at 2/3 capacity now.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says hospitalizations in the state dropped almost 70% since the state's peak about a month ago. Hospitalizations dipped under 1,000. Deaths stayed flat, with 335 more people who died, for a total of 17,638 fatalaties.
ECONOMY - In Connecticut, Lamont outlined his plan to recruit hundreds of volunteers to track and trace Coronavirus patients and exposures in the state, a key way to safely reopen the economy. Lamont says hospitalizations in the state are down for the sixth day in a row, and CDC guidelines say a state needs declining or flat numbers for 14 days in a row in order to reopen. Lamont emphasized 439,000 people have applied for unemployment in Connecticut, "Which implies an unemployment rate north of 20 percent, the likes of which we haven't seen since the great depression." He says 18,000 small businesses got accepted for the first round of federal loans.
In New York, Cuomo outlined a plan to begin slowly reopening certain regions in the state. He says the region needs a 14-day decline in cases, and certain businesses in "more essential" industries will be prioritized to reopen. Those businesses need plans to lower risk of virus spread. Additionally, Cuomo says the region needs widespread and regular testing, especially for front line workers. Read more details here.
MASKS - In Connecticut, Lamont says small businesses have been able to access the state stockpile to get masks and personal protective equipment for employees as they prepare to reopen. The state started requiring people to wear masks in public on Monday.
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6:00 am Tuesday, April 28
PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM - Banks and credit unions in New York and Connecticut say they are having trouble submitting loan applications to the federal government after the portal for the “Paycheck Protection Program” crashed after opening on Monday.
ANTIBODY TESTS - Test results for antibodies in New York suggests that 15 percent of the state’s population might have been infected with COVID-19.
NUMBERS - For the second day in a row, deaths in New York have fallen below 400. New cases also continue to drop statewide, with nearly 4,000 additional cases; On Long Island, 750 new cases; Westchester County, 340 more cases.
Connecticut has hit 2,000 deaths with 74 people recorded dead on Monday — Hospitalizations trend lower for the fifth day in a row. New cases continue to decline in Fairfield and New Haven counties.
NURSING HOMES - A group that represents non-profit nursing homes in the state welcomes increased inspections of their facilities, but says a lack of staffing continues to be a concern. Half of all virus-related deaths in Connecticut are nursing home residents.
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7:30 pm Monday, April 27
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the state is "seven days into a downslope" of hospital admissions. He says hospitalization numbers are a "key indicator" to help determine how to reopen parts of the state economy. The Connecticut Department of Public Health ha d not updated the daily case, hospitalizations, or fatality numbers by 7:30 Monday evening. Lamont announced at a briefing that 74 more people had died in Connecticut.
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo says the death rate continues to decline. He says 337 more people died of the virus on Monday, less than half of the one-day totals reported during the peak of the outbreak.
ECONOMY - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says after May 15, certain industries like construction may be able to begin resuming work in areas less affected by outbreaks. Meanwhile, Cuomo says the state will offer $25 million dollars in emergency aid to food banks to meet extraordinary demand.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said residents can expect social distancing in some form to remain in effect through the fall. Meanwhile, as front line workers continue to provide services at grocery stores, health care facilities and other essential jobs, the state Office of Early Childhood will now offer them subsidies for childcare.
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6:00 am Monday, April 27
NUMBERS - Connecticut saw an increase of 687 new cases yesterday, bringing the total to 25,269. 62 people died, but hospitalizations were down by 44. Numbers continue to fall in both Fairfield and New Haven Counties.
In New York, there were 5,902 new cases. Long Island saw an increase of 1,415 new confirmed cases, and Westchester County saw and increase of 433. Statewide, there are 288,045 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 16,966 deaths. The daily death toll was at its lowest level since the end of March, at 367.
Across the country, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 965,933 cases with 54,877 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 928,619 cases and 52,459 deaths.
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5:00 pm Sunday, April 26
REOPENING - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state has “gone through the worst”, and will now look to start reopening businesses in May.
NUMBERS - Fatalities in New York continue to decline. Still, 367 died on Saturday. There are 5,200 new cases in the state. On Long Island, there are 1,400 new cases. Westchester County saw 430 new cases. Hospitalizations also have decreased.
In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont says 62 people died on Saturday. There are 687 new cases. The number of hospitalizations dropped by 44.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports a total of 961,969 cases with 54,530 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 895, 766 with 50,439 deaths.
UNEMPLOYMENT - Connecticut residents who are receiving unemployment benefits will see the extra 600-dollar federal benefit starting today. Recipients do not need to fill out any additional paperwork.
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9:00 pm Saturday, April 25
NUMBERS - New York State is reporting over 10,500 new cases as of Saturday. There are 1,800 new cases on Long Island, and almost 600 in Westchester. A total of 16,599 New Yorkers have died.
Connecticut saw an increase of 661 cases yesterday. There were 98 deaths. The number of hospitalizations statewide decreased for the third straight day by 67.
FACEMASKS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the state will partner with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association to distribute facemasks to eligible essential small businesses with less than 50 employees.
TESTING - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an executive order that allows pharmacies to conduct diagnostic COVID-19 tests.
New York is conducting antibody tests for frontline healthcare workers at four New York City Hospitals, and will begin to give antibody tests to first responders and transit workers starting next week.
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10:00 am Saturday, April 25
ABSENTEE BALLOTS - All voters in New York will receive an absentee ballot application for the June 23 primary in the mail to practice social distancing to prevent a second wave of infection.
NUMBERS - New cases reported on Thursday in New York State: 8,130. Long Island added 1,680 more. Westchester, 675 more. Deaths were below 500 statewide for the fifth day in a row.
The daily number of new cases declined in Connecticut, with 621 additional cases, while deaths remained flat at 125. New cases continue to ease in Fairfield and New Haven Counties, and the number of hospitalizations in the state has declined by 120.
REOPENING? - Connecticut could possibly begin the multi-step process of loosening restrictions on businesses and gatherings by June. The state’s stay home order is currently in effect until May 20.
FIELD HOSPITALS - Construction of $250 million temporary hospitals at SUNY Old Westbury and Stony Brook University on Long Island are expected to be completed over the weekend. The 2,000-plus beds will remain closed, for now, in anticipation for a worst-case scenario.
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5:00 pm Friday, April 24
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont shared public health numbers for the past 24 hours: 23,921 people tested positive (+821), 1,764 people have died (+125). At least 1,877 patients are currently hospitalized (-70) which is the second day in a row of decline and the largest drop since the outbreak began, according to Lamont. Lastly, 74,038 people have been tested (+2,541).
FOOD SUPPLY - Lamont wants to figure out how to pay farmers so that food that normally would go to restaurants does not spoil or get thrown out.
NURSING HOMES - Lamont says personal protective gear will be sent out by FEMA to nursing homes nationwide starting next month.
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12:30 pm Friday, April 24
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says coronavirus deaths were lower than the day before, for a total of 422. That's the lowest one-day death number since the start of the month. About 3,000 fewer virus patients are being hospitalized than the day before.
REOPENING - Cuomo says he is considering allowing a strategy to reopen certain regions in New York, but says he needs to consider how to mitigate stir-crazy New York City residents who would want to flock to upstate rural main streets that reopen. He noted that federal CDC guidelines say a state needs two weeks of flatlining or declinding cases in order to reopen, and no region in the state is there, yet.
VOTING - Cuomo says all New York voters will be mailed an absentee ballot, in addition to having the option to go to the polls. State officials say folks afraid of virus transmission at the polls won't have to worry about trying to print voting forms at home from the internet, or go to a town clerk's office to apply for an absentee ballot.
STATE FUNDING - Cuomo criticized Senator Mitch MicConnel's suggestion that states facing budget shortfalls, like New York, should consider filing for bankruptcy. Cuomo pointed out that federal law would need to change in order to allow for states to file for bankruptcy, and warned what negative effect that could have on the stock market if his state had to do so. Cuomo noted that New York contributes more tax dollars to federal coffers than any other state.
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6:30 am Friday, April 24
FUNDING RELIEF - Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar says he will steer $10 billion in federal funding from the CARES Act to hospitals hardest hit by the outbreak, in downstate New York, Long Island and Connecticut.
NUMBERS - There was a rise in new cases reported for Wednesday in New York State: 6,240. Long Island added 1,280 more. Westchester, 680 more. Deaths were below 500 statewide for the fourth day in a row.
The rate of new cases has declined in Connecticut — with 630 additional cases and 95 more deaths. New cases and deaths continue to ease in Fairfield County and New Haven Counties.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 869,172 cases with 49,963 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 828,441 and 46,379 deaths.
UNEMPLOYMENT - The Connecticut Department of Labor is still backlogged with tens of thousands of unemployment claims it has received since March. But a software improvement last week and automation introduced today should cut the wait time in half. Benefits will be retroactive.
NO DRONES - Westport, Connecticut will no longer use drones to track at-risk groups for the virus in public after condemnation from the ACLU.
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7:52 pm Thursday, April 23
REOPEN CONNECTICUT ADVISORY GROUP -Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced a "panel of local health, business, workforce and education experts" who will consult with his administration and state lawmakers about the strategy to get back to work and school. See the press release for a full list of members, which is seperate from the multi-state regional council to reopen, but will offer recommendations to pass on to the state collaborators.
NUMBERS - Lamont announced the latest from the State Department of Public Health updates over the past 24 hours: 23,100 people tested positive (+631), 1,639 people have died (+95), 1,947 patients are currently hospitalized (-25), and 71,497 people have been tested (+1,579).
A New York Times analysis shows Fairfield County ranks 6th in the US with the most recent cases compared to its population, and that's still growing at a rate of 5.79 new cases per 1,000 residents. The growth rate shows Fairfield County is not "flattening the curve." New Haven ranks 10th on that same list with a rate of 4.51 new cases per 1,000 residents, and still growing.
In terms of most new deaths in the past two weeks, the same New York Times analysis shows Fairfield County's death rate is second after the greater New York City area, with .45 deaths per 1,000 residents, but is flattening. Hartford, Connecticut ranks 4th above Detroit, Michigan, but that rate is also flattening. New Haven and Torrington rank 8th and 11th on the death rate list, respectively, and both rates are flattening.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT - Lamont says the State of Connecticut commodities wearhouse got a shipment of 4 million surgical masks over the past day. He says it will be distributed among first responders, as well as health care and essential workers.
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1:25 pm Thursday, April 23
NUMBERS -New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 438 more people have died, down from 474 reported deaths on Wednesday and overall down 33 percent from the same time last week. Total fatalities reached 15,740. New hospitatlizations remain around 1,350 this week, down from about 2,000 daily admissions last week. More than 3,500 people have died in nursing homes in New York since the outbreak. That's about 20% of all deaths in the state.
ANTIBODIES - Cuomo says 3,000 people in the state have been tested for virus antibodies and 14% were positive. That's according a study by the state that randomly tested grocery store customers. Cuomo says it could mean more than 2.6 million people state wide have already been infected with the virus, compared to the 250,000 confirmed cases recorded by state testing data. Cuomo wants to use the early antibodies data to track changes in the infection rate. He says the data could also mean the fatality rate of Coronavirus is comparatively low, at about half a percent.
TRAVEL - Cuomo's plan to implement congestion toll pricing around New York City faces delays due to the virus and federal approval proccess. Westchester County airport is closing, according to The New York Times. The airport used to service 40 airlines, recently it had only one.
COVID-CATS -The USDA reports two pet cats in New York tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and are the first pets in the country to do so. A news release says both cats had respiratory symptoms, but are expected to make a full recovery. One cat lived in a house where no owners were confirmed to have COVID-19, the other cat lived with a COVID-positive owner but the other cat in the same household tested negative. The release says animal testing does not take away from available human tests, and notes that right now, there is no evidence that pets contribute to spreading the virus. The CDC says:
- "Do not let pets interact with people or other animals outside the household.
- Keep cats indoors when possible to prevent them from interacting with other animals or people.
- Walk dogs on a leash, maintaining at least 6 feet from other people and animals.
- Avoid dog parks or public places where a large number of people and dogs gather.
If you are sick with COVID-19 (either suspected or confirmed by a test), restrict contact with your pets and other animals, just like you would around other people.
- When possible, have another member of your household care for your pets while you are sick.
- Avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food or bedding.
- If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wear a cloth face covering and wash your hands before and after you interact with them."
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7:30 am Thursday, April 23
TRACING - Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will help develop a first-ever coronavirus testing and tracing program for New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.
NUMBERS - There was an uptick in the number of new cases reported for Tuesday in New York State, Long Island and Westchester County. New York has 5,530 new cases. Long Island added 1,200 more. Westchester, 620 more. Deaths are below 500 statewide for the third day in a row.
Connecticut had an increase in new positive cases — with 2,109 additional cases and 121 more deaths. Sharp increases of fatalities are in Fairfield County and New Haven County; yet new cases have eased in the two counties.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 842,624 cases with 46,785 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 802,583 cases with 44,575 deaths.
TESTING - Two more COVID-19 testing sites have opened in hard-hit, minority communities in New Haven — and a third on the way. Testing at the Fair Haven Community Health Center and the Cornell Scott Hill Health Clinic is free with results expected in two days. Call ahead for testing.
ELECTIVE SURGERIES - Hospital systems across Long Island and Connecticut have lost billions of dollars from the cancellation of profitable elective surgeries due to the coronavirus priorities.
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5:45 pm Wednesday, April 22
NUMBERS - Connecticut ranks third in the Northeast for number of Coronavirus deaths per resident, according to an analysis by the New York Times. Govenor Ned Lamont shared this latest from the State Department of Public Health: 22,469 people tested positive (+2,109), 1,544 people have died (+121), 1,972 people are hospitalized (+23), 69,918 patients have been tested (+5,726). Lamont says the rising death rate in Hartford County is concerning at 11%, because its almost double that of the former hotspot in Fairfield County, which is now at 6%.
UNEMPLOYMENT- Lamont announced the Connecticut Department of Labor has processed 320,000 out of 397,000 claims that have been filed since March 13. He credited the software upgrades to the DOL systems last week and says the department expects wait times to process claims will be roughly one week. He encourages applicants to choose direct deposit for quicker response, and stresses that "all benefits are retroactive to the date a person needed to apply." State Democrats announced in a Tweet that unemployment benefits have been extended from 26 weeks to 39.
REOPEN PLAN- Lamont says the key to reopening the state is masks. Residents will be required to wear masks in public starting on Monday. Lamont says he's in early talks concerning how Connecticut and New Jersey will be part of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's "contact tracing army" that Cuomo announced Wednesday morning. Lamont says "it's still to be determined." He says participation would be voluntary and anonymous.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR- The Hartford Courant reports The federal government has sent Connecticut more than 450,000 N95 respirator masks, more than a million surgical masks and 350 ventilators, among other supplies, during the COVID-19 outbreak. It cites the Executive Office of the President.
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2:45 pm Wednesday, April 22
NUMBERS - New York Govenor Andrew Cuomo says 15,302 residents have died of Coronavirus, that's 474 who died in the past day. Reported deaths remained under 500 for the third day in a row. That's compared to a one-day peak of 805 deaths on April 7. Hospitalizations are also down. New York has 4,812 new cases, for a total of 258,589 cases in the state.
TESTING AND TRACING - Cuomo says the state can run 20,000 tests a day, which he says means New York tests more people than any other state and more per person "than any country on the globe." Cuomo also announced that New York and Connecticut are partnering with Johns Hopkins University, Vital Strategies and former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg to develop a contract tracing program. Both testing and contact tracing have been cited by epidemiologists as key components needed to begin safely re-opening states for business.
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7:00 am Wednesday, April 22
NUMBERS - Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center is reporting 825,306 cases and 45,075 deaths, The Centers for Disease Control reports 776,093 cases with 41,758 deaths.
In Connecticut, there are 20,360 cases. Yesterday saw 545 new cases. There have been 1,463 deaths. Yesterday saw an increase of 92. Fairfield County has 8,472 cases, while New Haven County has a total of 5,493 cases. Both counties are seeing the number of new cases falling for the third consecutive day.
In New York, there are 251,690 cases, an increase of 4,178 from the previous day. The daily death toll continues to decrease, with less than 500 deaths reported yesterday. Long Island reported almost 900 new cases yesterday, and Westchester reported approximate 350 more.
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8:00 pm Tuesday, April 21
CONNECTICUT LEGISLATURE - Legislative leaders say the Connecticut General Assembly will likely conviene a special session in June to approve school construction projects and plan ahead for the income tax filing deadline in July. The constitutional deadline to adjourn the legislative session is May 6.
NUMBERS - Connecticut had an increase in new positive cases — with 1,850 additional cases and 92 deaths. New cases in Fairfield County and New Haven County have reached a three-day low.
The number of new cases in New York State, Long Island and Westchester County are down slightly from Sunday. New York has nearly 4,180 new cases. Long Island added 900 more. Westchester, 350 more. Deaths are below 500 statewide for the second day in a row.
PROPERTY TAXES - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will allow Nassau County to delay next month’s deadline for property tax payments to school districts in the county until June 1. Suffolk County wants the same extension.
ECONOMY - Nassau and Suffolk counties have commissioned an islandwide study of the economic impact of the coronavirus.
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6:30 am Tuesday, April 21
FACE MASKS - As of last night, Connecticut residents are now required to wear masks in public. New Yorkers have been required to do so since Friday.
PROTESTS - Hundreds of protestors drove around the state Capitol in Hartford and the Governor’s Residence yesterday to rally against the shutdown of business in Connecticut. Organizers included the Libertarian Party of Connecticut.
NUMBERS - Connecticut has at least 19,800 cases with over 1,300 deaths. 8,300 of the cases are in Fairfield County, and more than 5,200 are in New Haven County.
New York has over 247,500 with more than 14,300 deaths. Long Island has over 58,200, and Westchester County has 24,300.
HAZARD PAY - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked the federal government to provide hazard pay to essential public workers.
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6:30 am Monday, April 20
NUMBERS - Connecticut has 17,962 cases with 1,127 fatalities. Fairfield County has 7,434 cases, and New Haven County has 4,871.
New York State reports 242,786 cases with 13,869 deaths, Nassau County has 30,013 cases, while Suffolk County has 26,888, Westchester County has 23,803 cases. There are 134,436 confirmed cases in New York City.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 759,786 cases with 40,683 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 720,630 cases and 37,202 deaths.
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7:00 pm Sunday, April 19
MULTI-STATE COUNCIL - The Governors of Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware have announced their appointees to the multi-state council to open up the economy.
NUMBERS - Connecticut now has at least 17,700 cases with over 1,100 deaths. 7,400 of the cases are in Fairfield County, and almost 4,900 are in New Haven County.
New York has over 242,000 cases with almost 14,000 deaths. Long Island has almost 57,000 cases, and Westchester County has 24,000.
NURSING HOMES - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has announced financial assistance for the state’s nursing homes to help them fight the outbreak in their facilities.
ANTIBODY TESTS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says a statewide testing survey for antibodies will begin tomorrow.
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8:00 am Sunday, April 19
NUMBERS - Connecticut now has 17,550 cases with 1,086 deaths. 7,363 of the cases are in Fairfield County, and 4,743 cases are in New Haven County.
New York has 236,732 cases with 12,192 deaths. Suffolk County has 26,143, Nassau County has 29,180, and Westchester County has 23,179. 131,263 people in New York City have been diagnosed.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 735,287 cases and 39,090 fatalities. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary count of 690,714 cases with 35,443 deaths. They will confirm their count on Monday.
MARINAS - The governors of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey have aligned regulations that allow for the use of marinas and boatyards for personal use if social distancing is followed. Chartered services or rentals will not be allowed, and restaurants at the marinas will be take-out only.
VIRTUAL WEDDINGS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an Executive Order that allows wedding ceremonies to be performed virtually.
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7:00 pm Saturday, April 18
HOSPITALIZATIONS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont reports that for the first time, hospitalizations in the state have declined. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also reports a decline in hospitalizations and intubations. Cuomo says the number of deaths in the state has also declined over the past few days.
NUMBERS - Connecticut now has 17,550 cases with 1,086 deaths. 7,363 of the cases are in Fairfield County, and 4,743 cases are in New Haven County.
New York has 236,732 cases with 12,192 deaths. Suffolk County has 26,143, Nassau County has 29,180, and Westchester County has 23,179. 131,263 people in New York City have been diagnosed.
VIRTUAL WEDDINGS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an Executive Order that allows wedding ceremonies to be performed virtually.
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9:00 am Saturday, April 18
ELECTIONS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has pushed back the state’s presidential primary to August 11th.
NUMBERS - Connecticut has over 16,800 cases — most are in Fairfield and New Haven Counties. 1,036 people have died.
New York has nearly 223,000 confirmed cases, with deaths over 12,200. Long Island has 52,000 cases. Westchester County has over 21,800.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 706,779 cases with 37,079 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary count of 661,702 with 33,049 deaths. They will confirm all numbers reported over the weekend on Monday.
TESTING - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an executive order to direct all public and private labs to coordinate with state health officials to ramp up prioritized testing.
Connecticut’s first, rapid COVID-19 testing site has opened at the former Gateway Community College campus at Long Wharf in New Haven. Tests are free, with results available in 15-minutes.
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4:40 pm Friday, April 17
CT NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced the latest state public health data:
- 16,809 people tested positive (+925)
- 1,946 patients are hospitalized (+20)
- 1,036 fatalities (+65)
- 55,462 patients tested (+2,340)
NY NUMBERS - Governor Andrew Cuomo says 630 people died in New York since the day before, for a total of 12,822 fatalities. The three-day average of hospitalized patients dropped 3 percent, which Cuomo says is its biggest drop yet and a good sign of progress against the virus. About 2,000 patients were newly admitted to hospitals, which Cuomo says remains high.
AID- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called for federal help to implement widespread testing in order to reopen the economy. President Donald Trump tweeted "Cuomo should spend more time 'doing' and less time 'complaining'." The exchange echoed their disagreement earlier in the week over whether state or federal governments had control of reopening.
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6:00 am Friday, April 17
HEALTH CARE WORKERS - Front-line health care workers in Connecticut and Massachusetts are eligible to receive up to $25,000 of life insurance at no cost through HealthBridge.
ACCESS HEALTH CT - The special enrollment period for Connecticut’s health insurance marketplace, Access Health CT, ends today — call 855-365-2428 to enroll. Plans go into effect May 1.
NYS ON PAUSE - Schools and nonessential businesses in New York will remain closed until at least May 15.
REOPENING THE COUNTRY - President Trump has appointed Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin to the White House Task Force on Reopening the Economy.
NUMBERS - New York has nearly 223,000 confirmed cases, with deaths over 12,200. Long Island has 52,000 cases. Westchester County has over 21,800.
Connecticut has over 15,880 cases — most are in Fairfield and New Haven Counties. 971 people have died.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 671,425 cases with 146,055 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 632,548 cases and 31,071 deaths.
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5:10 pm Thursday, April 16
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says 1,129 more residents tested positive, for a total of 15,884 and 103 more people died, with 971 total fatalities. At least 18 more people have been hospitalized since the day before, for a total of 1,926. At least 53,122 residents have been tested.
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3:40 pm Thursday, April 16
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state reported the lowest number of deaths within 24 hours in the past ten days at 606, bringing the fatalaties to 12,192. The number of patients hospitalized has declined for the second straight day and ICU patients dropped by 134.
ECONOMY - Cuomo says the shutdown of New York state will continue at least through May 15. The original restrictions were set to be lifted at the end of April. Cuomo says he will coordinate with 7 states in the Northeast before announcing plans to reopen.
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7:00 am Thursday April, 16
COST OF PANDEMIC - Governor Ned Lamont has asked the federal government to completely cover the cost incurred to protect public health and extend financial assistance to Connecticut residents and tribal nations during the pandemic.
FACEMASKS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an excutive order for residents to wear a mask or face covering in public in situations where social distancing is not possible. Connecticut is also recommending the use of masks or other coverings, and Governor Lamont says he is considering a similar order.
SUFFOLK PRISONERS - Suffolk County will not release over 100 inmates awaiting trial at its two jails amid concern that the virus could spread among prisoners.
NUMBERS - New York has more than 213,700 confirmed cases, with deaths over 11,500. Long Island has hit 50,000 cases. Westchester County has almost 21,000.
Connecticut has over 14,750 cases — most are in Fairfield County and New Haven County. 868 people have died.
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5:30 pm Wednesday, April 15
NY NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 752 more people have died of COVID-19 since Tuesday, with a total of 11,586 fatalities. Cuomo says state officials are working to revise public health data to include "probable" Coronavirus deaths, which would factor in thousands of home cases in New York City.
MANDATORY FACE MASKS - Starting Friday, Cuomo is ordering residents to cover their faces in public where they can't keep six feet of social distance between others. He says the coverings could be scarves, bandanas, or proper masks to help people who may be unknowingly carrying the virus stop spreading it to others. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont also says he will likely sign a similar executive order for his state in the next two days.
ESSENTIAL WORKERS TESTING - The Metropolitain Transportation Authority plans to test transit workers at about 350 tests a week. This week, The New York Times reports about 2,269 MTA workers tested positive, 3,660 were quarantined and 2,020 have gone back to work after recovery.
CT NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the State Department of Public Health reports 14,755 people have tested positive for COVID-19 (up 766), at least 1,908 are hospitalized (+129), there are 868 deaths (+197) and 50,143 patients tested since Tuesday (+4,302).
UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS - Connecticut Department of Labor launched a new software Tuesday night that Lamont says will "significantly increase the speed of unemployment claim processing" and he says instead of a six week wait period, it should shrink to a week or less. The $600 additional federal stimulus fund for unemployment will start 4/24 and a new benefit program for self-employeed
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6:00 am Wednesday, April 15
NUMBERS - New York City now has over 10,000 deaths related to the coronavirus. The city added over 3,700 probable cases to its count yesterday evening. New York State will update its numbers later this morning, but as of last night had over 200,000 confirmed cases. Long Island had 48,000 cases, and Westchester over 20,000.
Connecticut has over 14,000 cases and 671 deaths.
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center is reporting 609,511 cases with 26,057 across the United States. The Centers for Disease Control reports 579,005 cases and 22,252 deaths nationally.
FEDERAL AID - Congressional delegates and the governors of New York and Connecticut continue to ask the federal government to help provide more tests and resources that are needed in order to start to reopen the states and restore the economy.
FOOD BANKS - The Connecticut Department of Social Services allocated $3.8 million in federal food assistance to two of the state’s largest food banks, including the Connecticut Food Bank.
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7:50 pm Tuesday, April 14
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says more than 14,000 cases have been found in the state, with 671 deaths. At least 1,779 patients are hospitalized, up just 19 from the day before. Infections continue to rise in Hartford and New Haven counties. Fairfield County has 6,213 cases and remains the hotspot, while Lamont says there is a "flare up" in the City of Bridgeport wit 859 total cases there.
ECONOMY - Lamont says businesses will likely stay closed for months, despite calls by President Donald Trump to reopen. The state and federal tax filing deadline has been pushed from tomorrow to July 15th. The Hartford Courant reports Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace employees face furloughs for hourly workers and 10% paycuts for salaried workers after an announcement from Raytheon, the parent company.
TESTING - Yale New Haven Hospital officials say testing for antibodies has begun on certain healthcare workers to see who may be immune to reinfection of COVID-19. Rite Aid also plans to open drive-through testing sites.
INCARCERATION - The ACLU of Connecticut continues to speak out against treatment of incarcerated people during the pandemic after the state Department of Corrections announced the first death of an inmate in a state prison. The state said the inmate was in his 60s and had not been released because he had no home on the outside where he could self-isolate.
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12:30 pm Tuesday, April 14
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says after two days of deaths falling, the fatalities rose again to 778 since yesterday. Virus patients enrolled in hospitals in the state dropped by one percent for the first time.
REGIONAL PLAN - New York, Connecticut, Massachusettes and other Governors in Northeast states plan to coordinate strategies to reopen businesses without endangering public health. Cuomo's announcement clashed with President Donald Trump's claim that he would be in charge of resuming business as usual for the country.
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4:30 pm Monday, April 13
NUMBERS - New York has more than 195,000 confirmed cases with over 10,000 deaths. On Long Island, there are over 46,000 cases. Westchester County has over 19,700. Connecticut has more than 13,380 cases — most are in Fairfield County and New Haven County. 602 people have died.
MULTI-STATE COUNCIL - Massachusetts has joined the multi-state council formed by New York, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island to come up with a regional plan to reopen transportation, non-essential business and schools. The multi-state council will create a framework to ease social isolation without triggering renewed spread, including testing, contact tracing, treatment and social distancing. Residents are advised to continue to stay at home, as officials come up with a plan to reopen business and schools.
MOBILE TESTING - COVID-19 testing at mobile drive-thru sites in Connecticut and on Long Island are expected to reopen Tuesday after they were suspended due to thunderstorms and high winds on Monday.
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12:30 am Monday, April 13
NUMBERS - New York has surpassed 10,000 virus-related deaths, with more than 195,000 confirmed cases. On Long Island, there are over 44,000 cases. Westchester County has over 19,000.
Connecticut has more than 12,000 cases — most are in Fairfield County and New Haven County. 554 people have died. The governors are expected to update those numbers this afternoon.
MOBILE TESTING - COVID-19 testing at mobile drive-thru sites are suspended today due to thunderstorms and high winds.
REOPENING - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo are expected to have a meeting and a joint press conference at 2 p.m. to discuss a regional plan for reopening transportation, non-essential business and schools.
NATIONAL GUARD - The Connecticut National Guard was sent to UConn Health in Farmington to set up 136 new beds for COVID-19 patients in anticipation of an upcoming surge in coronavirus cases.
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8:00 am Monday, April 13
NUMBERS - New York State has 188,694 confirmed cases of the virus, with 9,385 deaths. Nassau County has 23,553 cases and Suffolk County has 20,816, while Westchester County has 19,313 cases. New York City has 103,208 cases.
Connecticut reports 12,035 cases and 554 deaths. Fairfield County has 5,534, while New Haven County has 2,946 cases.
For the United States as a whole, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 557,590 cases with 22,109 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary count of 525, 704 cases and 20,486 deaths. They will update their numbers later today.
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6:30 pm Sunday, April 12
NUMBERS - New York State has 188,694 confirmed cases of the virus, with 9,385 deaths. On Long Island, Nassau County has 23,553 cases and Suffolk County has 20,816. Westchester County has 19,313 cases. New York City has 103,208 cases.
Connecticut reports 12,035 cases and 554 deaths. Fairfield County has 5,534, while New Haven County has 2,946 cases.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center report 550,016 cases ad 21,733 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary figure of 525,704 cases with 20,486 deaths.
FACE MASKS: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an Executive Order requiring all employers to provide cloth or surgical face masks to essential employees who must interact with the public.
RETURNED VENTILATORS: Governor Cuomo also returned ventilators to an upstate nursing and rehabilitation home that had voluntarily sent them to the New York City area. Hospitalizations in the state continue to decrease.
CT ALERT - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont is urging residents to sign up for the state's emergency notification system "CT Alert", which provides text message notifications. To subscribe, text the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.
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9:00 am Sunday, April 12
NUMBERS - New York, Connecticut, and the Centers for Disease Control have not updated their counts as of yet today. We expect updates throughout the day. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 530,006 cases and 20,608 deaths.
BRIEFINGS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will make an annoucement this morning in upstate New York. He might hold another briefing today. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has not scheduled a briefing as of this morning.
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7:30 pm Saturday April 11
NUMBERS - New York State is reporting 180,458 cases and 8,627 deaths. There are 98,308 confirmed cases in New York City. On Long Island, Nassau County has 22,584 cases, while Suffolk County has 19,883. Westchester County has 18,729.
In Connecticut, there are 11,510 cases. 5,407 of the cases are in Fairfield County and 2,715 cases are in New Haven County. 494 people statewide have died.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 524,903 cases with 20,389 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary count of 429,416 cases and 18,554 deaths. It will confirm the count on Monday.
CONNECTICUT NURSING HOMES - Governor Ned Lamont has signed an executive order that establishes Recovery Centers for Nursing Home residents who have COVID-19 and have been discharged from the hospital , but are still recovering. The centers will be in Sharon and Bridgeport, while a third is being planned in Torrington.
NEW YORK APEX? - Governor Andrew Cuomo says while 783 people died of complications of COVID-19 Friday, it appears the state has reached the apex because hospitalizations have continued to decline. He blasted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for saying schools will close for the rest of the school year. Cuomo says any decisions about reopening the state needs to be done on a regional basis.
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9:00 am Saturday April 11
NUMBERS - New York State reports 170,512 confirmed cases with 7,844 deaths. New York City has 92,384 cases, although that number might be actually higher as the state has not included the latest numbers released last night by the city. Nassau County has 21,512 cases, Suffolk County has 18,692 cases, and Westchester County has 18,077.
Connecticut has 10,538 cases with 448 deaths. Fairfield County accounts for 5,180 cases, and New Haven Conty has 2,383.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 501,615 cases and 18,777 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 459,165 cases and 16,570 deaths.
MIT STATISTICAL MODEL - A new statistical model by MIT predicts more than 2,600 deaths by mid-June in Connecticut. The state’s peak outbreak could be around April 21. The death toll is lower than other models have predicted.
EASTER SERVICES - Across the region, many worshippers will virtually celebrate religious services this weekend as social distancing rules remain in effect. Many families have also been gathering virtually to celebrate the Jewish and Christian holidays.
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6:45 pm Friday April 10
NUMBERS - Connecticut now has more than 10,000 confirmed cases. Governor Ned Lamont says 10,538 people have tested positive. There are at least 448 deaths. Fairfield County has 5,180 cases, while New Haven County has 2,383.
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4:30 pm, Friday, April 10
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the rate of intensive care hospitalizations went down for the first time by 17 patients, compared to an increase of about 300 patients a day last week. The number dropped from 4,925 on Thursday, down to 4,908 on Friday. Cuomo noted the daily death rate has stabilized, and the number of people hospitalized only increased 2% from Thursday.
In New York there at 170,512 cases (up by 11,000) and 7,844 deaths (up 777 ), and 18,569 patients are hospitalized.
In Connecticut, no new numbers were reported.
ECONOMY - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed an executive order to protect renters from eviction through July 1. Landlords must automatically grant tenants a 60-day grace period for rent due on April 1, and cannot charge fees or interest. For May rent, landlords must grant the grace period on request without fees or interest. Landlords also have to let tenants apply any security desposit that exceeds one month's rent toward April, May or June rent. Lamont also formally declared schools, bars and restaurants cannot reopen until May 20th while the state continues to flatten the curve.
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6:30 am, Friday, April 10
NUMBERS - The numbers from New York and Connecticut suggest that we may be at the peak of the outbreak. While New York reported its highest daily death toll of 799 yesterday, hospitalizations have stabilized and are starting to fall. In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont also says hospitalizations have stabilized.
New York State reports 159,937 casese with a total of 7,067 deaths. New York City has the most cases, with 87,028. Nassau County has 20,140 and Suffolk 17,413. Westchester County has 17,004.
In Connecticut, there are 9,784 cases and 380 deaths. Fairfield County has 4,882 of the cases and New Haven County has 2,183.
Across the country, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 466,299 cases with 16,686 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reporst 427,460 cases with 14,696 deaths.
BRIEFINGS: Governors Cuomo and Lamont are expected to hold early briefings today because of Good Friday and the start of Easter weekend. We do not yet know the briefing schedule for the weekend.
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4:45 pm Thursday, April 9
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says about 41% of people who were admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 have been discharged so far, and of those discharged, 10% had died. He says the state has 1,003 new cases for a total of 9,784. At least 1,464 patients have been hospitalized, 380 have died and 33,502 have been tested. Lamont says the rate of daily hospitalizations has not increased. Officials say because state data demographics remain incomplete, they can't determine whether black and brown residents are being disproportionaly effected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
HEALTH CARE -Lamont also announced Connecticut has ordered nearly 19 million pieces of personal protective eqipment through donations or though the national stockpile. The news comes this week after members of a nursing union say they lacked basic gear like surgical masks and were forced to re-use them while they worked in nursing homes or elder home care.
TREATMENT - Lamont says the Connecticut Hospital Association is distributimg donations of hydroxychloroquine, after the FDA approved its emergency use to treat certain hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
EDUCATION AND ECONOMY - Lamont officially delayed the re-opening of schools until at least May 20th, as well as bars and restaurants. The schools had been set to open April 30th, pending updates. State Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona says officials have planned for the school closures to last through the end of the school year in a "worst case scenario."
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1:15 pm Thursday, April 9
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the number of new hospitalized cases reached its lowest growth rate in weeks, a signal that the crisis is plateauing thanks to social distancing measures. However, 799 people passed in one day, the highest number yet, for a total of 8.900 fatalities. At least 18,279 people are hospitalized, up 200 from the day before. About 4,925 of those patients are in intensive care, up 84 from Wednesday. New York has the most cases in the worls, with 220,000.
ORIGINS - Researchers at Mount Sinai report their genetic analysis of virus cases show the majority of coronavirus infections in New York came from Europe, according to the New York Times.
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6:00 am Thursday, April 9
NUMBERS - Connecticut reports 8,781 cases and 335 deaths. Fairfield County accounts for 4,417 cases, and New Haven County 1,945.
In New York State, there are 149,316 cases, and 6,268 people have died. New York City has 81,803 cases, Nassau County has 18,548, and Suffolk 15,844. Westchester County has 15,879 cases.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 432,438 cases with 14,808 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 375,011 cases and 12,754 deaths.
RACIAL DISPARITIES - The coronavirus in Connecticut is hitting minority communities hard. Health officials say African Americans are twice as likely to come down with the disease than whites. Latinos, who make up 16 percent of the state, account for a quarter of the confirmed cases. The disparity is similar in New York.
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6:43 pm Wednesday, April 8
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 779 coronavirus-related deaths struck the state, the highest one-day fatalities since the outbreak began, for a total of 6,298 deaths. That's more than double the number of deaths on 9/11. The state has 49,316 positives cases, which the New York Times notes is more than every other country in the world (except the US). Cuomo says hospitalizations only increased 3 percent since Tuesday, compared to 25 percent increases just a few weeks ago. He says that's a sign the state is "flattening the curve" and should continue social distancing measures.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said due to tech issues, he could not provide updates on Coronavirus hospitalization or death numbers.
RACIAL DISPARITIES - New York numbers show the virus has killed a higher proportion of black and hispanic residents. Governor Cuomo says this may be due to the fact that people of color have jobs deemed "essential" and they risk more exposure to the virus. The Associated Press published data that shows 42% of Americans who died of Coronavirus-related complications were black, even though African Americans make up about 21% of the population.
TESTING - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says CVS Health Corp will launch two Coronavirus test sites in New Haven and Stamford. Up to 1,000 people a day could be tested within 15 minuts with a new rapid-test.
ECONOMY - Lamont plans to release an executive order preventing renters from eviction, at least in the short term. The news comes as the first unemployment checks have been sent. The Connecticut Department of Labor says more than 300,000 people have applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March.
HEALTH CARE - Lamont says new med school graduates will be authorized to work now to help with the pandemic response, despite not having official licenses. Board exams that are normally needed to get a license have been postponed due to the pandemic. Also, people recovered from COVID-19 may soon be able to donate their blood plasma--and virus antibodies--for potential treament for sick patients. Nuvance Health asks people to register here. Several unionized health care workers report lack of personal protective equipment on the job and at least three have died due to Coronavirus. Meanwhile, the US Army Reserve plans to send more than 80 soldiers to help at Stamford Hospital.
On Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone told MSNBC: "We have nearly a thousand healthcare workers who have contracted the COVID-19 virus, and in addition to that, we have 2 nurses who have been treating COVID-19 patients who have lost their lives." He called on the need for adequate personal protective gear moving forward.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE - COVID-19 positive inmates in Connecticut are being moved to one maximum-security prison in Somerville. At least 46 inmates in the state prisons have tested positive for the virus. The Connecticut Department of Correction says it made the move according to guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This comes as the New York Times pinpoints Cook County Jail in Chicago as the fastest growing hotspot for the virus in the United States, with more than 350 cases, compared to about 1,300 cases among incarcerated people nationwide.
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5:30 am Wednesday, April 8
NUMBERS - New York State reported its highest daily death toll yesterday with 731 deaths. There are a total of 138,863 confirmed cases in the state, with 5,489 deaths. New York City has 78, 876 cases. On Long Island, Nassau County has 16,610 cases, and Suffolk has 14,517. Westchester County has 14, 804.
Connecticut has 7,787 cases with 277 deaths. Fairfield County has 4,136 cases, and New Haven County has 1,664.
Across the United States, the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports just under 400,000 cases with 399,929 confirmed cases and 12,911 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 374,329 cases with 12,064.
APEX? - While New York saw its highest death toll yesterday, it also saw a decline in the number of hospitalizations for the third day in a row. Governor Andrew Cuomo says it's too early to tell if the state has reached its peak, and urges New Yorkers to continue social distancing over the holiday weekend.
YOUNGEST VICTIM ERROR - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced days ago that a six-to-seven week old infant who died in the state was likely the youngest victim of the pandemic. However, the town of Windsor Locks says an error in the state's Coronavirus case database resulted in an incorrect report. The Hartford Courant reports the victim was in their 70s.
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7:43 pm Tuesday, April 7
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says 71 people have died in the past 24 hours due to the new Coronavirus, the most in one day since the start of the outbreak. Total fatalites reached 277, about at least 1,308 patients have been hospitalized and 875 more people tested positive in Connecticut yesterday. Total cases reached 7,781. More than 29,036 patients have been tested. However, Lamont says state hospitals have lowered the rate of daily admissions.
TESTING - Lamont says he wants to get a faster test for COVID-19 into more widespread use. He also wants to begin testing for COVID-19 antibodies as a way to see which people may have built up an immunity and could be allowed to return to work.
ECONOMY - Lamont issued safe workplace rules for essential employers, which advises manufacturing workers, construction sites and other industries to provide personal protective equipment to employeers and limit the size of crews on the job. He also announced new grants for manufacturers who want to retool to address the public health crisis.
YOUNGEST VICTIM ERROR - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced days ago that a six-to-seven week old infant who died in the state was likely the youngest victim of the pandemic. However, the town of Windsor Locks says an error in the state's Coronavirus case database resulted in an incorrect report. The Hartford Courant reports the victim was in their 70s.
EDUCATION - Lamont is expected to announce soon that public schools will remain online at least through June.
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1:00 pm Tuesday, April 7
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state reached its highest one-day death total yet: 731 as of Tuesday morning. There are 5,489 total fatalities, 138,836 cases (up by more than 8,000 since Monday), and 17,493 people currently hospitalized. About 4,600 patients are on ventilators, a 2 percent increase from the day before. Cuomo says the rate of increase among hospitalizations and ICU cases has slowed, showing the state may have reached its peak. He says the state cases are peaking at a high level and it is causing stress on the health care system.
LONG ISLAND "SURGE"- Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone told CNN "you can feel the surge happening" in his county. The county has lost at least 200 people to COVID-19 and the infection rate outpaced New York City's. Bellone said he had to ask Governor Cuomo about body bags and morgue capacity.
HEALTH CARE - The 1000-bed US Naval ship, Comfort, which docked in Manhattan to help with the pandemic response, now says a crew member tested positive with COVID-19. The Associated Press reports the ship has treated abou 40 non-COVID-19 patients since docking last week.
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6:30 am Tuesday, April 7
NUMBERS - New York State reports 130,689 cases with 4,758 deaths. New York City has 72,181 cases. On Long Island, Nassau County has 15,616 and Suffolk County has 13,487. Westchester County has 14, 294.
Connecticut has 6,906 cases and 206 deaths. Fairfield County has 3,719 cases, and New Haven County has 1,468.
Nationwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 368,449 cases and 10,993 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control reports 330,891 cases with 8,910 deaths.
APEX? - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says it's still too early to say if the state has reached the peak or whether this is a plateau. The number of deaths in the state held steady yesterday. In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont says the peak should come to Fairfield County in a few weeks, and to New Haven County in about a month.
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10:00 pm Monday, April 6
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says 206 people in Connecticut have died, 6,906 have tested positive, and more than 1,200 are hospitalized due to COVID-19. Lamont says hospitalization numbers have remained about the same, while tests vary by testing capacity. Another 1,200 people tested positive by Monday afternoon's briefing.
HEALTH CARE - Lamont says local labs in Stamford and Farmington will help with testing, enabling public health officials to zero in on the status of the disease as it grows in Fairfield and New Haven. The state labratory has run about 2,700 tests so far. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong also joined several other state's attorneys general to send a letter on Monday, asking the Federal government to extend open enrollment for federal health care coverage. Connecticut's state enrollment is open through April 18th.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Connecticut Department of Corrections released 727 inmates since March 1, in an effort to slow the spread of the new Coronavirus in prisons. It's the most inmates released in Connecticut within a month in modern history, and DOC officials say it's the lowest state prison population since the early '90s. More than 30 DOC staff and 21 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19.
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1:00 pm Monday, April 6
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 4,758 people have died, up 599 from the day before. On Sunday, 594 people died. The state has 130,689 cases, up from 122,031. At least 16,837 patients are hospitalized, up from 16,479 and 4,504 of those patients are in intensive care units. That's up from 4,376 on Sunday.
Cuomo says "we could be at the apex at this moment" of the epidemic in New York, but says it is contigent on social distancing because the state appears to be "plateuing at a high level and we are stressed already."
HEALTH CARE - Cuomo says he plans to ask President Donald Trump for an increased supply of hydroxycholorquine, a drug that the president has touted but Cuomo says it's too soon to get a scientific report on its efficacy in treating COVID-19. Cuomo says hospitals are using the drug at their discretion in New York. He says right now, the state does not need additional ventilators.
ECONOMY - The New York State Department of Labor is working 6 days a week. Cuomo says he bought 46 new servers to handle the influx of unemployment applications and increased the number of call operators from 700 to 1000.
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6:00 am Monday, April 6
NUMBERS - The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports that nationwide, there are 337,646 cases with 9, 648 deaths.
New York State, Connecticut, and the CDC have not updated their data yet. New York usually does so around 11:00 am, Connecticut in the mid-afternoon, and the CDC at 4:00 pm.
OUTBREAK: PEAK OR PLATEAU - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the number of deaths in the state dropped from Saturday to Sunday. He said we could be reaching the apex of the outbreak, or it could just be a plateau. Both Cuomo and the federal government warn that the peak in the region should be sometime this week.
PRISONS - More than 100 inmates have been transferred after unrest at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield. State corrections officials say some inmates were removed from housing units Friday night after they threatened to organize hunger strikes and work stoppages to protest the facility's rules aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Others were transferred after a corrections guard was assaulted while breaking up a fight on Saturday.
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4:30 pm Sunday April 5
NUMBERS - New York State is reporting 122,031 cases. New York City has 67,551, Nassau County has 14,398, and Suffolk County has 12,406. Westchester County has 13,723. New York has at least 4,159 deaths.
Connecticut is reporting 5,675 cases with 189 deaths. Fairfield County has 3,050 cases, and New Haven County has 1,162.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center is reporting 331,151 cases, and 9,441 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary count of 304,826 with 7,616 deaths. They will post official numbers tomorrow.
OUTBREAK PEAK? - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the number of deaths today has declined. He says he is not sure if this means the outbreak is reaching its peak, or whether this is a plateau. He says the state needs more testing kits to determine for sure.
PPE's - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says the county has received approximately 150,000 masks from the federal government thanks to Congressman Lee Zeldin. Bellone criticized several upstate U.S. Representatives who complained about sending unused ventilators to Long Island.
CONNECTICUT HEALTH INSURANCE - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says he has extended the enrollment period to sign up for "Access Health CT", the state's health insurance marketplace. A special enrollment period from March 19th to April 2nd has now been extended to April 17th.
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10:00 am Sunday April 5
BRIEFINGS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has scheduled an 11:00 am briefing with the lastest information on the outbreak.
NUMBERS - New York State reports 113,704 cases, with over 3,500 deaths. New York City now has over 63,000 cases. On Long Island, there are almost 25,000 cases with 11,370 in Suffolk, and 13,346 in Nassau. Westchester County has 13,081 cases. We expect updated numbers later this morning or early this afternoon.
Connecticut now has 5,276 cases with 165 deaths. 2,824 cases are in Fairfield County, and 1,024 are in New Haven County.
Across the country, the Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary figure of 277,915 cases with 6,593 deaths. They will issue an official count on Monday, The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 312,249 cases with 8,503 deaths.
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5:00 pm Saturday April 4
NUMBERS - New York State reports 113,704 cases, with over 3,500 deaths. New York City now has over 63,000 cases. On Long Island, there are almost 25,000 cases with 11,370 in Suffolk, and 13,346 in Nassau. Westchester County has 13,081 cases.
Connecticut now has 5,276 cases with 165 deaths. 2,824 cases are in Fairfield County, and 1,024 are in New Haven County.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 300,915 cases with 8,175 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary figure of 277,915 cases with 6,593 deaths.
VENTILATORS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that 1,000 ventilators that China donated are arriving at JFK Airport. In addition, Oregon is sending 140 ventilators. Cuomo says that New York will "return the favor double-fold". President Trump says he will send an unspecified number of ventilators to the state.
SHIFTING PRIORITIES - The State of Connecticut Tourist Office has shifted its message as part of Governor Ned Lamont's "Stay Safe, Stay Home" directive. They now will promote activities residents can do at home or outside at a secluded location, a list of restaurants, breweries, and vineyards that offer take out and delivery. They will also promote various museums and cultural institutions that are offering virtual experiences.
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8:00 am Saturday, April 4
NUMBERS - New York has nearly 103,000 confirmed cases — with nearly 22,200 cases on Long Island. Westchester County has over 12,300 cases. New York City has hit 60,000 cases. Nearly 3,000 people have died statewide.
Connecticut has over 4,900 confirmed cases — at least 131 people have died from the virus.
We expect updates from both governors later today.
Across the nation, the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resources Center reports 278,458 cases with 7,59 deaths. The CDC last updated its numbers last night, and reports 239,279 cases with 5,443 deaths.
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7:00 pm Friday, April 3
NUMBERS - New York has nearly 103,000 confirmed cases — with nearly 22,200 cases on Long Island. Westchester County has over 12,300 cases. New York City has hit 60,000 cases. Nearly 3,000 people have died statewide.
Connecticut has over 4,900 confirmed cases — at least 131 people have died from the virus.
HEALTHCARE - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered upstate hospitals to share their spare ventilators with downstate hospitals that are overwhelmed with dealing with COVID-19 patients and rapidly running out of the machines.
Connecticut is working to link hospitals to manufacturers that have transitioned factories to make medical supplies.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence on Friday, calling for transparency in FEMA’s distribution of medical supplies, including ventilators.
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3:00 pm Friday, April 3
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called yesterday the deadliest day yet in the pandemic. The state's death toll rose from 2,373 to 2,935. Overall, New York has a total of 102,863 cases. Nassau has 12,002, Suffolk has 10,154, and Westchester County has 12,351. New York City has just under 60,000 cases.
HEALTHCARE - Governor Cuomo has ordered the National Guard to take ventilators that are not needed and not being used at hospitals outside of the hot spots and distribute them to the hospitals most in need.
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6:00 am Friday, April 3
NUMBERS - New York State has 92,381 confirmed cases, with approximately 2,500 deaths. Suffolk County has 8,746, Nassau has 10,587, and Westchester County has 11, 567. There are 51,809 cases in New York City.
In Connecticut, officials report 3,824 cases with 112 deaths. 2,132 of the cases are in Fairfield County.
Nationally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus resource center, there are 245,573 cases with 6,058 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control is reporting 213,144 cases with 4,513 deaths.
NEW HAVEN - New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker says the city’s 9-1-1 center was closed for a period of time yesterday after a worker tested positive for the Coronavirus. Hamden handled emergency calls while the center was cleaned. The worker reported the positive test results yesterday morning. Elicker said the worker had been “out for a while”. The center is currently open and functioning.
HEALTHCARE - More than 21,000 healthcare workers from out of state have volunteered to help New York, the global epicenter of the pandemic. Governor Andrew Cuomo says "New Yorkers will return the favor."
Cuomo has asked businesses to contact the state if they can help manufacture personnel protective equipment to help meet demand. He says the state only has enough ventilators for the next six days.
ECONOMIC - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed an executive order that provides state funding and pays school staff through the coronavirus shutdown.
#STOP THE SPREAD - Governor Lamont has directed grocery stores to cut their maximum occupancy in half. Only one member per household will be allowed to shop
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6:00 am Thursday, April 2
NUMBERS - New York State reports at least 75,795 cases, and almost 2,200 deaths. New York City has 43,139 cases, Nassau County has 8,544, and Suffolk 6,713. Westchester County has 9,967.
Connecticut reports 3,357 cases with 85 deaths, including a 6 week old baby. 1,986 of the cases are in Fairfield County.
Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control reports 186,101 cases and 3,603 deaths as of Wednesday evening. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 216,722 cases and 3,603 deaths.
OUTBREAK - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont expect the number of deaths and cases will continue to rise. The infection rate will come in late April. They both predict the crisis could last until early summer.
CONTAINMENT - Connecticut has prohibited walk-in visitors at its state parks. Officials have also limited parking capacity as some parks have been overcrowded. Violators could be fined, and even arrested, for entering parks that have reached capacity.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered New York City playgrounds closed, and has pleaded with young people in the state to observe social distancing or faces fines.
ECONOMY: Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford has furloughed 400 workers because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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7:00 pm Wednesday, April 1
NUMBERS: - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says 16 more people have died of COVID-19, including a 6-week old baby, who may be the youngest victim to date. Total deaths reached 85, with more than 3,500 cases statewide.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 1,941 patients have died in the state, while cases rose to 83,712.
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6:00 am Wednesday, April 1
NUMBERS: - New York State is reporting 75,795 cases with at least 1,600 deaths. New York City has at least 43,139 cases, Suffolk County 6,713, Nassau 8,544, and Westchester 9,967.
Connecticut has 3,128 cases with 69 deaths. 1,870 of the cases are in Fairfield County.
Nationally, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center is reporting 189,633 cases and 4,081 deaths. As of last night, the Centers for Disease Control reports 163, 539 cases and 2,860 deaths.
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7:00 pm Tuesday, March 31
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says a total of 69 residents have died of COVID-19. At least 3,128 residents have tested positive, up 557 from Monday. At least 400 of those cases were reported in Fairfield County, where Lamont warns hospitals are getting close to reaching capacity. More than 15,600 tests have been run in the state. A little over 600 people have been hospitalized.
ECONOMY - Lamont says he may have to narrow the definition of what jobs are considered "essential" under his stay at home order, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus and avoid overwhelming hospitals. He also announced an agreement with banks to offer a 90-day grace period on mortgage payments, a freeze on foreclosures for 60 days, and no credit score changes for taking advantage of COVID-19 crisis relief. Find out how to qualify.
HEALTH CARE - Southern Connecticut State University transformed its field house into a field hospital for non-coronavirus patient overflow from Yale New Haven Hospital. About 250 beds were set up with the help of members of the Connecticut National Air Guard and Army. Dorms are set to be converted by Friday. Several other campuses in the State Colleges and Universities System may be next, as the state prepares for an expected peak of cases. Lamont says April will be a "horrible month."
PHYSICAL DISTANCING - Lamont signed an executive order that aims to encourage six feet of social distance between visitors at state parks. It would allow Department of Energy and Environmental Protection workers the ability to limit the number of visitors, so people can enjoy the fresh air without crowds.
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1:00 pm Tuesday, March 31
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says 332 people have died of COVID-19 since Monday for a total 0f 1,550 fatalities. There are 75,795 cases statewide, up 9,298 from the day before. Cuomo's brother and CNN anchor, Chris Cuomo, is among the new patients. 10,900 patients are hospitalized, up 15%, with 2,710 in ICU care. About 205,000 residents have been tested.
Cuomo estimates the peak of cases will come in 7 to 21 days. He says the crisis will end--and people will be able to return to work-- when rapid at-home test kits can be made available to identify and contain cases.
HEALTH CARE - Cuomo says health care workers from upstate New York will come down to the metro region to help before he considers sending New York City patients upstate. Nearly 80,000 health care workers nation wide have responded to calls to help in New York's response and the state will pay those workers and "return the favor" when other states may need workers from New York.
Cuomo ordered 17,000 ventilators from China and expects about 2,500 to come in the next two weeks.
The field hospital erected in Central Park, Manhattan will begin taking non-COVID-19 patients during emergency room overflow.
ECONOMY - New York's unemployment website is not working. Cuomo apologized and says "we have every technology company working on it." The state saw more than 1.2 million inquires yesterday and about 7 million calls to the unemployment office last week.
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6:00 am Tuesday, March 31
NUMBERS - New York State has confirmed over 66.000 cases, and at least 1,200 people have died. Long Island has 13,000 cases, with 5,700 in Suffolk and 7,300 in Nassau. New York City has over 37,000 confirmed cases, and Westchester County has over 9,300.
In Connecticut, 2,571 people are confirmed to have the virus. 1,445 of the cases are in Fairfield County. 36 people have died, and 517 are hospitalized.
Nationally, The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center is reporting 164,904 cases with 3,170 deaths. The CDC, which updates its numbers once a day, reports 140,904 cases with 2,405 deaths.
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7:00 pm Monday, March 30
NUMBERS- Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says a total of 2,571 residents have tested positive, up 578 from the day before. He says southern Connecticut has an infection rate close to that of New York City, the emerging epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. At least 517 people have been hospitalized and 36 have died. The state also notes that case data it has reported in the past 5 days may be incomplete. More than 14,600 tests have been run in the state, and Lamont says he is "ramping up testing" that had been pared back in order to preserve much-needed personal protective equipment for health care providers.
HEALTH CARE - Lamont announced on Monday afternoon that he appointed the heads of Hartford Health, Nuvance Health and Yale New Haven Hospital to form Governor's Health Response Team, which will help allocate resources in the COVID-19 response. Lamont says a shipment came with 11,000 N95 respirators for health care workers. However, he says the federal government redirected ventilators he was expecting because the equipment was needed in other states.
The Connecticut convention center, Mohegan Sun casino, and state universities may become emergency department places to hold overflow COVID-19 patients.
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2:45 pm Monday, March 30
NUMBERS- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the rate of hospitalization numbers have tapered off, even as the overall number of cases are going up, which he says is a good sign. Cuomo reports 1,218 people have died of COVID-19 in New York, more than 253 in a single day. The state has a total of about 66,500 cases, almopst 7,000 reported since Sunday. Nearly 36,221 cases are in New York City. About 9,517 people are hospitalized, a 12% increase from Sunday, and 2,352 are in intensive care units with ventilators. More than 4,200 people have been discharged from hospitals.
HEALTH CARE - Cuomo says the 1,000-bed naval hospital ship, the Comfort, docked Monday morning at a pier in Manhattan. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says 750 beds will immediately go into use.
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6:00 am Monday, March 30
NUMBERS- New York State now has close to 60,000 confirmed cases, with over 1,000 deaths. New York City has close to 34,000 cases, Nassau County has 6,500, Suffolk County has 5,000, and Westchester County has 8,500.
Connecticut has 1993 cases as of Sunday night, wit 1245 of them in Fairfield County. 34 people have died, and 404 remain hospitalized.
Across the country, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 143,055 cases with 2513 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control will update their numbers later today, but has a preliminary figure of 122,653 cases and 2,112 deaths.
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8:00 pm Sunday, March 29
HEALTH CARE - FEMA will distribute 130,000 N-95 respirator masks, nearly 1.8 million surgical masks and gowns, tens of thousand of gloves and more than 70,000 thermometers to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The New York Times reports the shipment came from China on Sunday.
NUMBERS - Connecticut public health officials say COVID-19 cases reached 1,993 on Sunday night, up 469 from the day before. At least 11,900 tests have been run. One person passed away in the past 24 hours, bringing total deaths to 34 in the state. Hospitalizations nearly doubled in a day, from 205 to 404, but the state says that's due to more coordinated data collection from the Connecticut Hospital Association. The real increase was close to 100 more hospitalizations in a single day.
CONTAINMENT- Connecticut Governer Ned Lamont signed an executive order on Saturday night that calls for all people experiencing homelessness to be moved out of shelters to more private housing. It also calls for housing options made available to health care workers and first responders in need, who may be exposed to the novel Coronavirus and do not want to return home and infect their families or cohabitants.
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4:00 pm Sunday, March 29
NUMBERS - New York Governer Andrew Cuomo says 237 people died of Coronavirus since the day before, the largest single jump to date, bringing the death total to 965 since the outbreak began. New York has 59,513 total cases, up by more than 7,500 from the day before. Roughly 8,500 patients are hospitalized and 2,037 are in ICUs with ventilators.
ECONOMY - Cuomo asked all non-essential workers to stay home until at least April 15, with another re-evaluation in two weeks.
TRAVEL ADVISORY - Cuomo says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation for residents of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey to avoid all non essential domestic travel for 14 days is essentially what the regional governors have already been advising with their "stay home" orders.
HEALTH CARE - Cuomo says over 76,000 care providers have volunteered to work in New York hospitals. If called in, many volunteers would come out of retirement to help.
TRANSPORTATION - The head of the Metropolitain Transportation Authority, Pat Foye, has tested positive for Coronavirus. The NY Daily News reports Foye chaired a virtual MTA board meeting last Wednesday while in the same room with as some participants.
CONNECTICUT DISASTER DECLARATION - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the federal government has approved his request for a disaster declaration, which would unleash thousands in funds to help with the Coronavirus response.
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8:00 am Sunday, March 29
TRAVEL ADVISORY- The Centers for Disease Control has issued a Domestic Travel Advisory for New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. They urge residents of the three states to "refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days", effective Saturday night. It does not apply to employees of "essential infrastructure industries". The governors of each state will have full discretion to implement the advisory.
The advisory comes after President Trump said he was thinking about a quarantine for the three states on Saturday. A potential quarantine was strongly criticized by Governors Cuomo and Lamont.
NUMBERS- Connecticut now has over 1,500 cases. 205 people remain hospitalized, and there are 33 deaths. 908 of the cases are in Fairfield County.
Governor Cuomo says there are now 52,318 cases in New York State. New York City has almost 30,000 cases, Nassau County has 5,537, Suffolk has over 4,100, and Westchester has almost 7,900. There are at least 728 deaths.
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 124,686 cases with 2,191 deaths nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary number of 103,321 cases and 1,668 deaths. They say not all states and municipalities have updated their numbers, so they will not have an accurate count until Monday.
VOLUNTEERS- Governor Lamont is calling for more people with health care experience to volunteer as the state prepares for a surge of cases. He says more than 1,000 retired nurses have come forward to help.
ELECTIONS- New York State has postponed its presidential primary from April 28th to June 23rd.
TAXES- New York State has postponed its tax filing date from April 15th to July 15th.
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8:30 pm Saturday March 28
President Trump just tweeted that there will be no quarantine of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, just a "strong travel advisory". Details from the CDC will follow later.
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7:00 pm Saturday March 28
CONTAINMENT- President Trump says he is considering a quarantine of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. He says he will announce his decision "shortly", possibly by the end of the day.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at his Saturday briefing said "I don't even know what that means". Later, during a CNN interview, he said it amounted to a "declaration of war on the states".
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said he believed the president was "thinking out loud". He asked for clarification, because "confusion leads to panic".
NUMBERS- Connecticut now has over 1,500 cases. 205 people remain hospitalized, and there are 33 deaths. 908 of the cases are in Fairfield County.
Governor Cuomo says there are now 52,318 cases in New York State. New York City has almost 30,000 cases, Nassau County has 5,537, Suffolk has over 4,100, and Westchester has almost 7,900.
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 121,117 cases with 2,010 deaths nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control has a preliminary number of 103,321 cases and 1,668 deaths. They say not all states and municipalities have officially updated their numbers on Saturday.
ELECTIONS- New York State has postponed its presidential primary from April 28th to June 23rd.
HEALTH CARE- Cuomo also announced four new sites for temporary field hospitals in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. He also says the temporary hospital at the Javits Center in Manhattan will be operational on Monday.
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3:30 pm Saturday, March 28
CONTAINMENT- President Trump says he is considering a quarantine of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. He says he will announce his decision "soon", possibly by the end of the day.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at his Saturday briefing said "I don't even know what that means".
NUMBERS- Governor Cuomo says there are now 52,318 cases in New York State. New York City has almost 30,000 cases, Nassau County has 5,537, Suffolk has over 4,100, and Westchester has almost 7,900.
ELECTIONS- New York State has postponed its presidential primary from April 28th to June 23rd.
HEALTH CARE- Cuomo also announced four new sites for temporary field hospitals in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. He also says the temporary hospital at the Javits Center in Manhattan will be operational on Monday.
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2:30 pm Saturday, March 28
President Trump says he is considering a quarantine of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. He says he will make his decision "soon".
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8:30 am Saturday, March 28
NUMBERS - New York State is reporting 44,635 cases of COVID-19, with close to 600 deaths. New York City has over 25,000 cases, Nassau over 4,600, and Suffolk with 3,400. Westchester County has approximately 7,200 cases.
Connecticut has 1,291 cases with 27 deaths. 173 people remain hospitalized. Fairfield County has the majority of the cases with 752. New Haven County has 222 cases.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control reports 85,356 with 1,246 deaths. They will not update their numbers over the weekend. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports 104,837 cases, with 1,711 deaths.
HEALTH CARE- Connecticut National Guard built overflow tents at the VA hospital in Newington today, much like ones built in West Haven on Thursday. The state also purchased about $15 million worth of personal protective equipment from a private supplier.
Four additional temporary field hospitals are planned for each New York City borough outside of Manhattan. The Navy hospital ship USN Comfort will also arrive in the city on Monday.
COMMUNITY- Lamont urges residents to "adopt a grandparent" by offering to shop and drop off goods for them, not to visit. He also encourages folks to donate to the Connecticut Food Bank.
ECONOMY: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has banned non-essential construction and home repairs in the state.
TRANSPORTATION- Lamont announced several changes to bus and rail services. the Metro North New Haven will operate on 50% reduced service starting Monday, March 30th. Additional Hartford Line an Amtrak service will also be reduced. Buses to Hartford will run on a reduced schedule and passengers are encouraged to only ride for essential travel and to only board via the rear door.
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6:50 pm Friday, March 27
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says 1,291 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, up 279 from Thursday. Three weeks ago to the day, Lamont annonced the state's first case. Since then at least 27 people have died. 173 are hospitalized. More than 8,400 tests have been run statewide, though Lamont notes testing has slowed to conserve personal protective equipment for health workers.
HEALTH CARE- Connecticut National Guard built overflow tents at the VA hospital in Newington today, much like ones built in West Haven on Thursday. The state also purchased about $15 million worth of personal protective equipment from a private supplier.
COMMUNITY- Lamont urges residents to "adopt a grandparent" by offering to shop and drop off goods for them, not to visit. He also encourages folks to donate to the Connecticut Food Bank.
TRANSPORTATION- Lamont announced several changes to bus and rail services. the Metro North New Haven will operate on 50% reduced service starting Monday, March 30th. Additional Hartford Line an Amtrak service will also be reduced. Buses to Hartford will run on a reduced schedule and passengers are encouraged to only ride for essential travel and to only board via the rear door.
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1:20 pm Friday, March 27
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says at least 519 people have died of COVID-19, more than 134 people since the day before. He says more than 44,600 cases are now in the state, up 7,300 from yesterday. About 6,481 patients are in the hospital, with 1,583 in ICU. About 2,000 were discharged.
HEALTHCARE - Cuomo says the state needs 20 million N95 respirator masks for health care workers, 30 million surgical masks, 45 million exam gloves, 20 million gowns and 30,00 ventilators. He wants to build temporary hospitals for 4,000 extra patients.
CONTAINMENT - Cuomo plans to restrict construction work to only "essential" projects: health care, transportation infrastructure, utilities, telecommunications, airports, hotels and sea ports.
EDUCATION - Cuomo will keep schools closed two more weeks--at least until April 15th.
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6:20 am Friday, March 27
NUMBERS - There are 37,258 confirmed cases in New York, with over 450 deaths. New York City has over 21,000 cases, Westchester has almost 6,000, Nassau County has 3900, and Suffolk with just over 2,000.
In Connecticut, the state reports 1012 cases with 21 deaths. 125 people remain hospitalized. The majority of the cases, 607, are in Fairfield County.
Nationwide, the CDC reports 68,440 cases and 994 deaths as of Thursday evening. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, which reports in real time, says there are 85,991 cases and 1296 deaths.
HEALTHCARE - Connecticut inmates sewed more than a thousand fabric face masks for medical workers, which would be used as a last resort amid a supply shortage of personal protective equipment like the N95 respirator and surgical masks.
CONTAINMENT - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont recommends meeting no more than five people in a social gathering. When taking a walk outside and seeing friends, stay apart and see no more than five at a time.
Lamont had a message to New York City residents, saying that it’s better for them and the community to stay home. He says, “if you do think about coming to a state like this, I want you to A. self diagnose and B. self quarantine for 14 days." He says to “make sure that you are 100% healthy before you do a lot of circulating” out and about.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Ned Lamont and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone say there are no plans to seal off the East End of Long Island from New York City residents.
On Long Island, city officials have closed the boardwalk at Long Beach due to overcrowding. The beach remains open, but cannot be accessed from the boardwalk
TRANSPORTATION - Reduced train schedules for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North go into effect today. Check new.mta.info/schedules for train times.
ECONOMY - Lamont thanked department of labor personel dealing with the record number of applications for unemployment benefits. He says the computer systems, which date back 40 years, were set to be updated nine months from now and unfortunately it couldn't happen sooner. He emphasized that the federal Department of Labor website also crashed under the 3.3 million filings nationwide.
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7:56 pm Thursday, March 26
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced there are 1,012 cases in the state, up 137 from Wednesday. At least 125 people have been hospitalized and there are 21 deaths. More than 6,500 tests have been run so far.
HEALTHCARE - Connecticut inmates sewed more than a thousand fabric face masks for medical workers, which would be used as a last resort amid a supply shortage of personal protective equipment like the N95 respirator and surgical masks.
CONTAINMENT - Lamont recommends meeting no more than five people in a social gathering. When taking a walk outside and seeing friends, stay apart and see no more than five at a time.
Lamont had a message to New York City residents, saying that it’s better for them and the community to stay home. He says, “if you do think about coming to a state like this, I want you to A. self diagnose and B. self quarantine for 14 days." He says to “make sure that you are 100% healthy before you do a lot of circulating” out and about.
Lamont says he just got off the phone with the President and Vice President this afternoon, who emphasized wanted to return to business as usual. Lamont disagreed “If you’re a state right next to New York City, the epicenter of the crisis, I think that is bad, bad advice.”
ECONOMY - Lamont thanked department of labor personel dealing with the record number of applications for unemployment benefits. He says the computer systems, which date back 40 years, were set to be updated nine months from now and unfortunately it couldn't happen sooner. He emphasized that the federal Department of Labor website also crashed under the 3.3 million filings nationwide.
He also advises essential workers to self-diagnose and take their temperatures daily due to a shortage of Coronavirus testing materials. Lamont says essential workers, especially those who work with hundreds of others on the floor of an assembly line, should stay home if they have any sign of symptoms or fever.
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12:56 pm Thursday, March 26
CONNECTICUT - Governor Ned Lamont announced he requested a federal major disaster declaration, in the hopes to get more assistance in the Coronavirus response. Lamont says in a statement that if his request is approved, it will open up resources for childcare, crisis counseling, and other "needs identified as the result of a pandemic." Read his letter to President Donald Trump about his request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
HEALTHCARE - The mayor of Danbury, Connecticut says Danbury Hospital is in need of Clorox Peroxide and Bleach Wipes. He asks for donations to be dropped off at the hospital's main entrance valet at 24 Hospital Avenue. He also requests PPE equipment donations for city health workers, public works employees and Emergency Services. Email to schedule delivery. Contact Taylor at t.obrien@danbury-ct.gov. Danbury has 63 confirmed cases, as of March 25.
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12:30 pm Thursday, March 26
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state has 37,258 confirmed cases, up 6,400 from the day before. At least 5,327 patients are now hospitalized, a 40% increase from Wednesday morning, with 1,290 patients in intensive care. The statewide death total surged by more than 100 in the past 24 hours, up to 385.
HEALTH CARE - In each of the five boroughs and surrounding New York City suburbs, Cuomo wants to build facilites that can house at least 1,000 hospital beds.
ECONOMY - Cuomo says the economic slowdown could lead to a $15 billion dollar budget shortfall, while the federal stimulus package passed on Wednesday only offered the state about $3 billion to help with its reduced tax revenue.
CONTAINMENT - Cuomo says he has no plans for a travel ban, although communities upstate and in surrounding suburbs complained about the influx of New York City residents. The city has at least 21,000 positive cases.
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5:30 am Thursday, March 26
NUMBERS - New York State has almost 31,000 cases with approximately 360 deaths. New York City has 18,000 cases. On Long Island, Suffolk County reports nearly 2,300 cases. Nassau County has at least 3,300. Westchester County reports 4,700.
Connecticut has 875 cases with 19 deaths. 546 of the cases are in Fairfield County. 113 people remain hospitalized.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control reports 54,453 cases with 737 deaths. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center updates their statistics in real time, and as of 5:30 am reports 69,197 with 1050 deaths.
HEALTH CARE - On Long Island, hospitals are rushing to increase capacity and many have set up medical tents for emergency triage centers. At Stony Brook Medical Center, a triage center has been set up in a parking lot in order to separate potential COVID patients from other emergency room patients.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says testing for the coronavirus is slowing down due to a shortage of chemicals needed to run the tests.
He announced the Governor's Foot and Horse Guard units deployed a mobile field hospital to Danbury. A similar one was built on Tuesday at St Francis Hospital in Hartford. The next unit is expected at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown. Lamont also urges the public to schedule an online appointment to donate blood to the Red Cross.
ECONOMY- Connecticut small businesses and non profits with fewer than 100 can now apply for interest-free loans from the state. Check https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus for updates on eligibility.
CONTAINMENT- Lamont dispelled rumors circulating on social media. He assured residents that roads will remain open and no curfew will be in place, so people should continue to purchase normal amounts of groceries because they will continue to be allowed to go to the store. __________________________________________________
7:30 pm Wednesday, March 25
NUMBERS - On Long Island, Suffolk County reports nearly 2,300 cases. Nassau County has at least 3,300.
HEALTH CARE -Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says testing for the coronavirus is slowing down due to a shortage of chemicals needed to run the tests.
He announced the Governor's Foot and Horse Guard units deployed a mobile field hospital that is expected to be running in Danbury by Thursday. A similar one was built on Tuesday at St Francis Hospital in Hartford. The next unit is expected at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown. Lamont also urges the public to schedule an online appointment to donate blood to the Red Cross.
ECONOMY- Connecticut small businesses and non profits with fewer than 100 can now apply for interest-free loans from the state. Check https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus for updates on eligibility.
CONTAINMENT- Lamont dispelled rumors circulating on social media. He assured residents that roads will remain open and no curfew will be in place, so people should continue to purchase normal amounts of groceries because they will continue to be allowed to go to the store.
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4:15 pm Wednesday, March 25
NUMBERS - Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced at his daily afternoon briefing that the state now has 875 confirmed cases of COVID-19, up by 257 since Tuesday. The latest state public health data show least 113 people are hospitalized and 19 residents have died. At least 5,898 tests have been conducted so far.
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1:00 pm Wednesday, March 25
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in his daily morning press conference that for the first time in over a week, new confirmed cases of the Coronavirus decreased from the day before. The state had 4,790 confirmed cases on Tuesday, down from 5,707 on Monday. Cuomo says it’s a sign social distancing efforts are working to slow the spread of the virus. He says the outbreak in the state is expected to peak in two weeks.
More than 30,000 people in New York have tested positive. Cuomo says 12% of those people are hospitalized, 3% are in ICU, and 258 people (1%) have died. New York City accounts for 17,856 of cases, making it the center of the outbreak in the United States.
CONTAINMENT - Cuomo says New York City will close streets to cars and open them to pedestrians in order to encourage people to keep six feet of social distance. He's also advising a voluntary ban on playground contact sports, like basketball.
HEALTH CARE - Cuomo says ventilators are his biggest challenge. The state needs 30,000. Hospitals have 4,000 now, the federal government sent 4,000 and the state bought 7,000 and is “still shopping.”
New York also asked for 1.2 million health care workers to come and help. About 40,000 providers have signed up so far. Cuomo also wants a “rolling deployment” of supplies that can move to the next center of the outbreak.
COMMUNITY - Connecticut food banks in small towns say they are running low. The superintendent of Region 14 schools in Woodbury and Bethlehem asks for non-perishible food donations to be dropped off from 12-1pm each day at Mitchell Elementary School and Bethlehem Elementary School, or any time at the front doors of Woodbury Middle School.
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5:00 am Wednesday, March 25
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state now has over 25,000 confirmed cases, making it the center of the pandemic. Over 250 people have died. On Long Island at least 1,880 people are infected in Suffolk, 2,869 in Nassau. New York City has 15,597 cases, and Westchester has 3891. New York can now test about 16,000 people a day.
Connecticut has 618 confirmed cases. Governor Ned Lamont says at least 384 cases are in Fairfield County. At least 12 people have died, and 71 remain hospitalized. Check the latest Connecticut updates here.
At the national level, there are discrepancies with numbers of reported cases, as private labratory results may be slow to get reported to public health offices. As of 5:00 am March 25 , the CDC reports 44,183 cases and 544 deaths, while Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center reports 55,225 cases and 802 deaths. You can view updates from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control here.
CONTAINMENT: The Trump Administration is asking anyone who has left the New York City area to self quarantine for 14 days.
Nonessential workers in Connecticut and New York continue to be asked to stay home.
NY HEALTH CARE: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says infections in the state are growing faster than expected, and that he needs support from the federal government to provide ventilators. He says health officials are experimenting with using one ventilator for two patients.
He says the state is now able to test 16,000 people a day for COVID-19, the disease the coronavirus causes.
Cuomo blasted any plan to restart the economy before the pandemic is under control as "Darwinian".
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hiring contractors to begin contrstruction of field hospitals at four locations in the state, including Stony Brook University and SUNY Westbury on Long Island. Each hospital would be ready to recieve 500 patients in a matter of weeks.
Health workers on Long Island are expected to receive thousands of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment.
CONNECTICUT EDUCATION: The Partnership for Connecticut plans to donate thousands of laptops to disadvantaged high school students who are home amid coronavirus concerns. Indra and Raj Nooyi say they will make a donation of books from Scholastic to more than 185,000 Pre-K through 8th grade students who are learning at home.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says schools in the state will be closed until April 20th. All schools on Long Island remain closed.
ELECTIONS - Connecticut has postponed its presidential primary from April 28 to June 2. The New York State Board of Elections has recommended postponing New York's primary to June as well.
ECONOMY - New Yorkers can also expect grace periods for loan modifications, no late-payment fees for certain loans and overdraft fees from credit bureaus. Foreclosures will also be postponed or suspended
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5:00 pm Tuesday, March 24
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state now has over 25,000 confirmed cases, making it the center of the pandemic. At least over 200 people have died. On Long Island at least 1,880 people are infected in Suffolk, 2,869 in Nassau. New York City has 14,904 cases, and Westchester has 3891. New York can now test about 16,000 people a day.
Connecticut has 618 confirmed cases. Governor Ned Lamont says at least 384 cases are in Fairfield County. At least 12 people have died, and 71 remain hospitalized. Check the latest Connecticut updates here.
At the national level, there are discrepancies with numbers of reported cases, as private labratory results may be slow to get reported to public health offices. As of 5:00 pm March 24 , the CDC reports 44,183 cases and 544 deaths, while Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center reports 52,145 cases and 677 deaths. You can view updates from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control here.
NY HEALTH CARE: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says infections in the state are growing faster than expected, and that he needs support from the federal government to provide ventilators. He says health officials are experimenting with using one ventilator for two patients.
He says the state is now able to test 16,000 people a day for COVID-19, the disease the coronavirus causes.
Cuomo blasted any plan to restart the economy before the pandemic is under control as "Darwinian".
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hiring contractors to begin contrstruction of field hospitals at four locations in the state, including Stony Brook University and SUNY Westbury on Long Island. Each hospital would be ready to recieve 500 patients in a matter of weeks.
Health workers on Long Island are expected to receive thousands of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment.
CONTAINMENT: Nonessential workers in Connecticut and New York continue to be asked to stay home.
CONNECTICUT EDUCATION: The Partnership for Connecticut plans to donate thousands of laptops to disadvantaged high school students who are home amid coronavirus concerns. Indra and Raj Nooyi say they will make a donation of books from Scholastic that will provide reading and writing instruction to more than 185,000 Pre-K to 8th grade students who are learning at home.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says schools in the state will be closed until April 20th.
ELECTIONS - Connecticut has postponed its presidential primary from April 28 to June 2. The New York State Board of Elections has recommended postponing New York's primary to June as well.
ECONOMY - New Yorkers can also expect grace periods for loan modifications, no late-payment fees for certain loans and overdraft fees from credit bureaus. Foreclosures will also be postponed or suspended.
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2:00 pm Tuesday, March 24
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state now has over 25,000 confirmed cases, making it the center of the pandemic. At least 157 people have died. On Long Island, the reported county-specific data remains the same as of Monday evening, with at least 1,880 people are infected in Suffolk, 2,869 in Nassau. New York can now test about 16,000 people a day.
Connecticut has not officially updated its numbers since Monday evening. The state has lost at least 10 residents to COVID-19. Governor Ned Lamont announced Monday evening a total of 415 confirmed cases, now in every county. At least 270 cases are in Fairfield County, which is four and a half times more than Hartford County, the area with the second highest cases (61). At least 54 people remain hospitalized. Check the latest Connecticut updates here.
At the national level, there are discrepancies with numbers of reported cases, as private labratory results may be slow to get reported to public health offices. As of 2:00 pm March 24 , the CDC reports 33,404 cases and 400 deaths, while Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center reports 49,768 cases and 600 deaths. You can view updates from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control here.
CONTAINMENT: Nonessential workers in Connecticut and New York are asked to stay home.
NY HEALTH CARE: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says infections in the state are growing faster than expected, and that he needs support from the federal government to provide ventilators. He says health officials are experimenting with using one ventilator for two patients.
Cuomo blasted any plan to restart the economy before the pandemic is under control as "Darwinian".
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineeers is hiring contractors to begin contrstruction of field hospitals at four locations in the state, including Stony Brook University and SUNY Westbury on Long Island. Each hospital would be ready to recieve 500 patients in a matter of weeks.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state is now able to test 16,000 people a day for COVID-19, the disease the coronavirus causes.
Health workers on Long Island are expected to receive thousands of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment.
CONNECTICUT EDUCATION: The Partnership for Connecticut plans to donate thousands of laptops to disadvantaged high school students who are home amid coronavirus concerns. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says schools in the state will be closed until April 20th.
ELECTIONS - Connecticut has postponed its presidential primary from April 28 to June 2.
ECONOMY - New Yorkers can also expect grace periods for loan modifications, no late-payment fees for certain loans and overdraft fees from credit bureaus. Foreclosures will also be postponed or suspended.
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7:00 am Tuesday, March 24
NUMBERS - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday the state jumped by more than 5,000 cases in one day, to at least 20,875 confirmed cases statewide. The state now accounts for more than 5% of cases globally, making it the center of the pandemic. At least 157 people have died. On Long Island, the reported county-specific data remains the same as of Monday evening, with at least 1,034 people are infected in Suffolk, 1,900 in Nassau, 1,873 in Westchester. New York can now test about 16,000 people a day.
Connecticut lost 10 residents to COVID-19. Governor Ned Lamont announced Monday evening a total of 415 confirmed cases, now in every county. At least 270 cases are in Fairfield County, which is four and a half times more than Hartford County, the area with the second highest cases (61). At least 54 people remain hospitalized. Check the latest Connecticut updates here.
At the national level, there are discrepancies with numbers of reported cases, as private labratory results may be slow to get reported to public health offices. As of 7:00 am March 24 , the CDC reports 33,404 cases and 400 deaths, while Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center reports 46,450 cases and 593 deaths. You can view updates from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control here.
CONTAINMENT: Nonessential workers in Connecticut and New York are asked to stay home.
NY HEALTH CARE: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineeers is hiring contractors to begin contrstruction of field hospitals at four locations in the state, including Stony Brook University and SUNY Westbury on Long Island. Each hospital would be ready to recieve 500 patients in a matter of weeks.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state is now able to test 16,000 people a day for COVID-19, the disease the coronavirus causes.
Health workers on Long Island are expected to receive thousands of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment.
CONNECTICUT EDUCATION: The Partnership for Connecticut plans to donate thousands of laptops to disadvantaged high school students who are home amid coronavirus concerns. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says schools in the state will be closed until April 20th.
ELECTIONS - Connecticut has postponed its presidential primary from April 28 to June 2.
ECONOMY - New Yorkers can also expect grace periods for loan modifications, no late-payment fees for certain loans and overdraft fees from credit bureaus. Foreclosures will also be postponed or suspended.
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12 PM Monday, March 23
NUMBERS - There are at least 1,034 in Suffolk, 1,900 in Nassau, 1,873 in Westchester, and 9,045 in New York City. Over 64,000 people have been tested. You can check the latest New York updates here.
Connecticut has at least eight deaths due to the coronavirus, and reports 327 confirmed cases. 208 cases are in Fairfield County. 51 people remain hospitalized. Check the latest Connecticut updates here.
At the national level, there are discrepancies with numbers of reported cases, as private labratory results may be slow to get reported to public health offices. As of 12:00 noon , the CDC reports 15,219 cases and 201 deaths, while Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center reports 35,531 cases and 473 deaths. You can view updates from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control here.
#STAYHOME - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has mandated that all non-essential businesses end “in office personnel functions” effective Sunday night. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued a similar executive order requiring non-essential personnel to stay home, which takes effect Monday night. Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all agreed to close the inside areas of malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys to encourage social distancing.
NY HEALTH CARE - Cuomo has indentified four sites for temporary field hospitals: SUNY Stony Brook and SUNY Westbury on Long Island, the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, and the Westchester County Center in White Plains. The federal government so far authorized 28 labs in New York to increase testing.
President Trump announced that FEMA will build four hospital units at the Jacob Javits Center that would handle 250 patients each. These would be fully staffed and funded by the federal government. In addition, the President announced that he approved the activation of the National Guard in New York, and will send much needed medical supplies to the state.
CONTAINMENT - New York State has created a one-mile "containment zone" around the New Rochelle synagogue that is the epicenter of the Westchester outbreak. Schools and community centers will be closed. Groceries will remain open. Travel will not be curtailed. Governor Cuomo opened the state's first drive-through COVID-19 testing center in New Rochelle.
ELECTIONS - Connecticut has postponed its presidential primary from April 28 to June 2.
ECONOMY - New Yorkers can also expect grace periods for loan modifications, no late-payment fees for certain loans and overdraft fees from credit bureaus. Foreclosures will also be postponed or suspended.
LAWMAKERS - The New York State Legislature in Albany is closed to the public after members of the legislature tested positve for the virus. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is mandatory quarantine after Deputy County Executive Peter Scully tested positive. Bellone is not showing any symptoms.
The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford will be closed at least until March 30th.
JUSTICE SYSTEM - Connecticut Department of Correction has suspended visits at state prisons to protect offenders and employees from COVID-19 entering its facilities. Trials and routine appearances in Connecticut state courts will be "continued" or suspended for at least 30 days as a way of dealing with the novel coronavirus. They’ll prioritize criminal arraignments, domestic violence orders and child protection matters.