WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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Governor Cuomo: “I spoke with the President this morning and asked if the USNS Comfort, the United States Navy Ship the Comfort, which is an additional 1,000 beds, could also take COVID patients. The original plan was they would do non-COVID patients from the hospital system. As it turns out, we don’t have many non-COVID symptoms because when you close everything down, the silver lining was traffic accidents, crime went down. So, we really need help with the COVID patients. The President spoke to the Department of Defense and granted that request to use the Navy Ship Comfort for COVID patients. So, that’s an additional 1,000 beds with federal personnel managing that ship. So, that’s a welcome relief and the President granted the request. … Between the 2,500 at the Javits Center and the 1,000 beds of the Comfort, that should be a major, major relief system for already overtaxed hospital system.”

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the federal government has granted his request to allow COVID-19 patients to be treated on the USNS Comfort. The approval will provide an additional 1,000 beds, staffed by federal personnel, to care for COVID-19 patients in New York. Governor Cuomo called President Trump earlier today to make the request. The Governor made today’s announcement during an interview with MSNBC’s Katy Tur.

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From the Governor’s Press Office.and the coronavirus news conference Sunday morning 4 PM.:

Earlier today, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the federal government is deploying approximately 1,000 personnel to New York State, including doctors, nurses, respiratory technicians and therapists, to help the state’s overwhelmed hospital systems. The first 325 personnel will be deployed to the New York City hospital system today.

From WPCNR: In the Governor’s daily Coronavirus Intelligence Report, Governor Cuomo expressed cautious optimism we may be seeing a leveling off of the rise in cases, which he said the experts could not tell him whether the number of cases in New York State had “APEXED” or that today’s reported rise had hit a plateau, the governor said it was too soon to tell.

Governor Cuomo expressed optimism that deaths today declined for the first time; hospitalization rates of infected coronavirus patients had dropped sharply to 574 new today (after averaging about 1,000) and incubations (patients going onto ventilators) had declined slightly

The governor said the state had enough hospital beds, approaching the previously projected 140,000 infections in the state, that the problem was not beds now, but ventilators. He again detailed his plan to deploy ventilators from other hospitals across the state. He has not signed the executive order requiring hospitals to do so, saying he was making changes to it to determine how long such an order would stay in effect.

He addressed the Rockland County outbreak of cases in his press conference below, saying he is well aware of the Muncie problem in that county and that Dr. Zucker, the State Commissioner of Health had spoken with the Rabbis of that community and made them aware of the need for distancing and travel restrictions.

The Governor said the Coronavirus “Command Center” is keeping track of how many ventilators are in every hospital “within 2 to 3 ventilators” and will dispatch ventilators to any hospital declining to zero ventilators. He said he personally would drive ventilator to a hospital himself if they needed it and no other transport could be found. He said he did not have a count on how many doctors, nurses, police and fire personnel had contracted the virus, but a count would be forthcoming.

He said the Covid crunch in New York City would be greatly aided when the Javits Center conversion to a auxiliary hospital was completed.

WPCNR Notes: you can see key moments in the Governor’s news conference in the clips in the previous stories below with more details, plus the news conference with reporters where key questions were asked that the Governor answer forthrightly.

Finally, the Governor confirmed 8,327 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 122,031 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 122,031 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

Editor’s Note: Based on these most recent numbers, the overnight day-to-day rate of new cases in Westchester County declined to 5% .

The New York City new cases increased to 67, 551 a day-to-day increase from Saturday of 6.7%, from Saturday’s 63,306, 4,245 new cases today.

Nassau County cases went up to 14,398 increasing 1,052 cases, a day-to-day increase rate of 7.8%

Suffolk County cases increased 1,035 persons to 12,405, a day-to-day increase rate of 9.1%.

Orange County had 3,102 cases, increasing 361, a daily increase rate of 13.1%

Putnam County has 314 cases, up 31, a daily increase rate of 9.3%

Rockland County went over 5,000 to 5,326 total cases up from 4,872 yesterday. Rockland is increasing in number of cases by a percentage of 9.3%.

Ulster went up 42 cases to 332, from 290 yesterday a rate of 10.8% a day.

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Tom Roach. April 4, 2020″

 Governor Cuomo wrote today:

1. New York State received a donation of 1,000 ventilators from China. This significant donation was madeby the Joseph and Clara Tsai Foundation and facilitated by the Chinese government and Ambassador Huang, the Chinese Consul General. (Joe Tsai is the owner of the Brooklyn Nets.) The ventilators arrived at JFK Airport today. Additionally, the Joseph and Clara Tsai Foundation and the Jack Ma Foundation have donated one million surgical masks, one million KN95 masks and more than 100,000 pairs of goggles. We thank them. 

2. Oregon Governor Kate Brown has offered to provide New York with 140 ventilators from Oregon’s stockpile. We are so grateful to Governor Brown and the people of Oregon. New York State will repay the favor when Oregon needs it. This generous offer is an inspiring example of the solidarity that other states are showing to New York.

 3. I issued an Executive Order today allowing medical students slated to graduate this spring to begin practicing now. These are extraordinary times, and we need all the help we can get.

 4. Long Island’s number of Coronavirus cases, as a percentage of the total number of cases in our state, has grown to 22% from 15% on March 22. That’s worrisome. I urge Long Island residents, and all New Yorkers, to stay at home and if you must go out, to practice social distancing. We need to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and we all have a role to play. 

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: The media company CONVICTS has produced a powerful video called “NY Tough,” celebrating the resiliency of New Yorkers and memorializing those New Yorkers lost to this vicious virus. Watch the inspiring video here. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here.

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach in his nightly message wrote:

There are 324 residents of White Plains diagnosed with coronavirus in Whtie Plains, but that is all the information we are given.

He thanked the persons who participated in the Friday night shout out and all the persons who have volunteered to help in the city. The text of tonight’s phone communication:

Posted on: April 4, 2020

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update for Residents April 4, 2020

New York state now has close to 114,000 cases; there are 730 new cases in Westchester for a current total of 13,081 out of over 42,000 people tested in the county. The municipality specific data we received from the county today indicates 324 positive cases in White Plains.

As we have noted these local numbers do not accurately reflect the actually count in a municipality on the day they are received. We share them because they are the best data we have been given.

The Center for Disease Control Is now recommending that a face covering be worn when you are in situations when you will be in contact with others. It is important to remember that social distancing is still the primary means of preventing transmission and should be maintained even if wearing a face covering. To learn more about this and other corona virus information please see CDC.gov.
Thank you to all who participated in the #wpshoutout to essential employees last night the response was tremendous. I can tell you it was well appreciated by the staff at White Plains Hospital and Empress Ambulance with whom I spoke. And it was great to be outside and see and hear our neighbors and to feel we’re all still here, we’re in this together, and we are all doing our part to flatten the curve. We are working on another one, keep an eye out on the city’s social media sites for our next clap for essential workers.
It’s hard to believe that the first case in NY was only about a month ago. Our world has changed so dramatically in such a short period of time in ways that we could not have imagined. And I know it’s not easy. But we are starting to see signs that all of our efforts are having an impact. And the cooperation we have seen in our city by all of you and the spirit with which you have met these challenges is inspiring. And when this is all over, and it will be over, we will be able to look back and say that together, as a community, we saved lives.
Lastly, we have gotten a great response from our request for volunteers. Thank you for those who have emailed. If you, too, would like to help in the community, please email: volunteer@whiteplainsny.gov.

Remember we are standing together by staying apart