Coronavirus: 50 deaths reported since Friday in NYC, hospitalizations

STATEN ISLAND – An additional 50 New Yorkers died from Friday through Sunday due to coronavirus (COVID-19), while the state recently was removed from a list of those “on track to contain” the virus.

A total of 23,190 people have reportedly died of coronavirus-related illnesses in New York City since the start of the pandemic, as of Sunday afternoon, according to the city’s Health Department.

The fatalities consist of 18,583 individuals who were confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 4,607 whose deaths were deemed as “probable” COVID-19 cases.

A death is classified as “probable” if the decedent was a city resident who had no known positive laboratory test for the coronavirus, but the death certificate lists “COVID-19” or an equivalent as a cause of death.

A large majority of deaths in confirmed coronavirus cases which were investigated by the city thus far have occurred in patients with underlying medical issues, said the Health Department.

Underlying conditions include diabetes, lung disease, cancer, immunodeficiency, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, kidney disease and gastro-intestinal/liver disease, said the Health Department.

STATEN ISLAND DEATHS, CASES

As the city moves toward Phase 3 of reopening on Monday, New York and New Jersey have been moved out of a small group of states considered by experts to be “on track to contain” the disease, according to a data-driven model, which acts as a warning system for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across the United States.

On Staten Island, a total of 1,061 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Sunday, including five fatalities on Friday and Saturday, health department data shows.

The total is broken down into 882 fatalities involving confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 179 probable cases.

A Health Department source said the figures reflect totals as of when they are reported to the agency and not when the deaths occur.

S.I. CASES

As of Sunday afternoon, there had been 14,050 Staten Islanders who tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, city officials reported.

That represents 40 new cases from the figure reported Friday.

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CITYWIDE DATA

Citywide, there were 213,852 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

That represents an increase of 640 from the figure reported Friday.

Free testing sites now are available across the five boroughs, which was not the case during the initial stages of the outbreak in New York City.

HOSPITALIZED

As of Sunday morning, 21 COVID-19 patients were being cared for on Staten Island, which is one more than reported Friday, at the start of the weekend.

By contrast, near the height of the pandemic, nearly three months ago on April 8, 554 Islanders were hospitalized with the coronavirus.

At Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH), eight patients were being treated Sunday, which is the same…