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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS CUOMO REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 16, 2020 UPDATED 3:30 PM EDT WITH DETAILED VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS UPDATED WITH CASES BY COUNTY 5:45 PM EDT
NEW! CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN WESTCHESTER BY COMMUNITY PUBLISHED 9:15 PM EDT
Governor Andrew Cuomo showed New Yorkers in graphically dramatic terms by comparing New York current infection rates today to the infection rates that other major outbreaks had and emphasizing how slim the margin of error, the edge that New York going ahead to keep the infection rate down.
He noted in the video leading this article that if a coronavirus infected person infected 1 other person, the infection rate will rise, and if that one infected person infected two other persons, New York will see more outbreaks and relive the entire experience of the last 45 days, with closures and distancing rules put back in place.
The governor said that reasons so many experts were wrong in their estimates of number of infections and deaths prepared for New York were because they used the usual infection rates. The governor pounded home the message that New Yorkers understood the facts of the disease and chose to comply with the state efforts to control the spread of the disease.
He extended the current NY Pause strategy through May 15, at which time he said he would look at the data to decide whether or not to proceed with a reopening.
He explained that testing figures provide a false positive in that the number of people tested are people who think they may have coronavirus, pointing out that “the more you test, the more cases you have.” The only real measure of the growth of the disease is the hospitalization rate that measures the number of persons actually sick enough to require being into the hospital.
The Governor detailed issues, he feels businesses have to address before and after any reopening. Continuing his advisory yesterday on how businesses would reopen. In the video below he gives a rundown on situations to address as they reopen:
In the “Q & A” session afterwards, the governor set up a new format for answering questions, selecting a different reporter in random sequence and not by the loudest voice.
In that “Q & A,” the Governor said the state had lost 7.5 Billion (an estimated $10-15 Billion) in revenues and the state was not in a position to help cities, towns, and counties with shortfalls, saying “We cannot do it. We’re not in position to help anyone.”
He criticized congress and said he has made the New York delegation aware of the need to address the need for more aid to states. “They tell me well we have to get to ‘yes,’ but you’re not helping the country. It doesn’t matter if you get to ‘yes’ and don’t help the country.”
The Governor criticized the New York Times for inaccurately reporting that unexplained causes of death in nursing homes added to the death total this week when Mayor DeBlasio of New York City commented on the unexplained deaths. Melissa DeRosa, Secretary to the governor said the these were deaths attributed as probably due to the coronavirus which made complications the “probables” had worse. The New York State Commissioner of Health Howard Zuckerman explained the role the coronavirus often causes organ shutdowns in persons with previous conditions.
The Governor said New York State is sending 100 ventilators to the state of New Jersey, which has not reached the apex stage of its coronavirus growth.
Melissa DeRosa said the unemployment claims processing at the New York Department of Labor, after one week of a new call-in policy in effect had processed 925,600 applications of 1.2 million applications in 5 weeks. She said all last year the state had received 300,000 applications. She attributed the remain applications to awaiting verification of items left off the application.
The Governor reported 606 deaths were reported from coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the number of persons who have died in New York State to 11,977.
He confirmed 8,505 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 222,284
The following is the current count of coronavirus counts by County (Metropolitan New York counties in bold):
| County | Total Positive | New Positive |
| Albany | 581 | 33 |
| Allegany | 28 | 0 |
| Broome | 167 | 14 |
| Cattaraugus | 32 | 0 |
| Cayuga | 36 | 0 |
| Chautauqua | 24 | 0 |
| Chemung | 70 | 1 |
| Chenango | 73 | 2 |
| Clinton | 46 | 1 |
| Columbia | 99 | 3 |
| Cortland | 24 | 1 |
| Delaware | 47 | 1 |
| Dutchess | 2,085 | 37 |
| Erie | 1,850 | 99 |
| Essex | 12 | 0 |
| Franklin | 13 | 0 |
| Fulton | 25 | 1 |
| Genesee | 78 | 2 |
| Greene | 74 | 1 |
| Hamilton | 3 | 0 |
| Herkimer | 43 | 3 |
| Jefferson | 48 | 1 |
| Lewis | 8 | 1 |
| Livingston | 32 | 1 |
| Madison | 105 | 0 |
| Monroe | 932 | 48 |
| Montgomery | 32 | 0 |
| Nassau | 27,772 | 1,057 |
| Niagara | 216 | 12 |
| NYC | 123,146 | 4,844 |
| Oneida | 249 | 3 |
| Onondaga | 462 | 13 |
| Ontario | 65 | 3 |
| Orange | 5,888 | 172 |
| Orleans | 34 | 1 |
| Oswego | 44 | 2 |
| Otsego | 44 | 0 |
| Putnam | 573 | 2 |
| Rensselaer | 137 | 13 |
| Rockland | 8,752 | 278 |
| Saratoga | 231 | 4 |
| Schenectady | 245 | 8 |
| Schoharie | 20 | 0 |
| Schuyler | 6 | 0 |
| Seneca | 18 | 0 |
| St. Lawrence | 93 | 1 |
| Steuben | 154 | 3 |
| Suffolk | 24,182 | 904 |
| Sullivan | 437 | 13 |
| Tioga | 27 | 2 |
| Tompkins | 116 | 1 |
| Ulster | 761 | 28 |
| Warren | 81 | 4 |
| Washington | 46 | 4 |
| Wayne | 49 | 1 |
| Westchester | 21,828 | 881 |
| Wyoming | 34 | 0 |
| Yates | 7 | 1 |