Coronavirus on Long Island: Updates for May 4

Cleaning of subway stations starts Wednesday

Beginning Wednesday, all 472 New York City Transit subway stations will be closed between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. so that cleaning crews can, on a daily basis, disinfect the fleet of MTA subway trains.

Subway chief Sarah Feinberg noted that, in addition to using their usual cleaning products, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority also will test "innovative solutions for this cleaning program," including ultraviolet light, antimicrobials and electrostatic disinfectants.

To serve the nearly 11,000 overnight subway riders that will be displaced by the closures, MTA chairman Patrick Foye said the agency is putting together adding 1,100 bus trips to its schedule and bolstering its bus fleet by 150%. For essential workers without easy access to bus routes, the MTA is also creating a "connector service" of cabs and for-hire vehicles that will be available to riders free of charge.

Long Island Rail Road trains, too, will undergo daily disinfecting under the enhanced cleaning plan, although the effort will not impact railroad service, officials said. LIRR riders are being affected by new cleaning protocols at Penn Station.

As of Sunday, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit are closing their concourses at Penn Station during overnight hours for deep cleaning. The closures mean that LIRR customers must use the 34th Street entrance between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. — ALFONSO CASTILLO

Bellone: County hospitalizations up slightly

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said hospitalizations in the county rose slightly Sunday for the first time in the last two weeks.

Four more people went into the hospital for coronavirus treatment, bringing the total of those in hospitals to 817.

That uptick stands in the way of the downward trend the county had been experiencing, following the 14-day downward trend recommended by the CDC for setting the stage for reopening the economy.

But Bellone cited Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s directive Monday that the trend should be considered on a 3-day rolling average, saying he is "confident that we will meet that metric."

He said 17 people had died of the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing that total to 1,273 deaths.

In testing, 563 more people tested positive, bringing that total to 37,537 positive patients, including those who tested positive on an antibody test even though they were not previously known to have the virus. Bellone said 33 people were discharged from the hospital in the last 24 hours.

After a beautiful weekend in which Long Islanders flocked to beaches and parks, Bellone said, "By and large the people of Suffolk County passed the test," of keeping their social distance while outside.

And Bellone announced that food distribution will be available at hot spot testing sites in Wyandanch, Brentwood and, for the first time, Huntington Station. — NEWSDAY STAFF

Regents concerned about lack of technology

Extended school closings and shifts to online instruction have raised growing concerns in Albany that students without access to Wi-Fi connections and other technology could be missing out on lessons.

"This is a humongous issue," Shannon Tahoe, the state’s interim education commissioner, said at the Board of Regents meeting Monday.

Roger Tilles of Manhasset, who represents Long Island on the Regents board, said he has received mixed reports of some school districts in the region with limited funding that had succeeded with remote instruction, along with other districts that fell short.

"Every day that goes on, that gap is getting wider and wider," Tilles said, referring to effects of school closures triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. — JOHN HILDEBRAND

PM Pediatrics offering antibody testing for families

PM Pediatrics said Monday that it has started offering COVID-19 antibody testing at 36 locations nationwide, including six on Long Island.

The New Hyde Park-based pediatric urgent care group said an entire household that includes at least one child can get the test. The group said in order to schedule an appointment, a parent must download the PM Pediatrics Anywhere app and set up a screening.

The test is available at PM Pediatrics locations in Carle Place, Commack, Manhasset, Massapequa Park, Selden and Syosset.

The COVID-19 antibody test consists of a blood sample, drawn from a vein. An antibody is a marker in the blood that indicates the body’s immune reaction to a specific infection, in this case COVID-19. Results are reported in two to three days, PM Pediatrics said.

Patients with insurance will have the co-pay waived, the group said. The out-of-pocket cost for those without insurance is $65. — DAVID REICH-HALE

Cuomo: Core factors needed to reopen

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said at his news briefing Monday morning that 226 New Yorkers died Sunday, down from 280 reported on Saturday. Of those who died, 193 were in hospitals and 33 in nursing homes. The total number of hospitalizations and intubations were down Sunday, Cuomo said.

Saying the 1918 influenza epidemic shows what can happen when a reopening is hasty and citing comments from Dr. Anthony Fauci that we could be in for a "bad fall and a bad winter," the governor stressed analyzing the metrics on a regional basis will tell when it is safe to reopen the state.

Cuomo said he will not allow a region to reopen unless it is averaging fewer than 15 new cases of the coronavirus per day, and fewer than five deaths. Core factors that will determine when a region can reopen include monitoring new infections, and examining what the health care, diagnostic testing and contract tracing capacities are, the governor said. To date, Cuomo said, 1 million New Yorkers have been tested for COVID-19. — NEWSDAY STAFF

Northwell says COVID-19 numbers down 26%

Northwell Health on Monday said the number of COVID-19 patients at its 19 hospitals fell to 1,485, a 26% drop from the same period a week ago. It's down 56% from the peak of 3,360 COVID-19 patients on April 8.

"The trend is promising and hopefully it holds," said Terry Lynam, a Northwell spokesman.

Northwell said the drop from Sunday to Monday was a more modest 13. "Historically, the discharges are lower on the weekends, but it's hard to say why," Lynam said.

Northwell has reported a drop in COVID-19 patients in 24 of the last 25 days. The only increase came April 20, when the number of coronavirus patients rose by 10. — DAVID REICH-HALE

De Blasio: NYC to distribute 7.5 million face coverings for free

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday said the city has a sufficient supply of PPE for the first time since March.

He said the city will be stockpiling a 90-day supply of PPE to deal with a possible second wave of the virus and said the city is working with private industry to make sure these items are manufactured in NYC so it does not have to rely on others in the future. 

The mayor said the city will distribute 7.5 million masks for free in upcoming weeks across the city. 

Talking about summer plans, de Blasio said beaches will not open on Memorial Day. The city will host some type of July 4 celebration that will include fireworks, but the plan remains fluid.

The mayor and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea also addressed the arrest that led to one officer being placed on modified administrative duty after video surfaced of him punching a man on the Lower East Side on Saturday. — MICHAEL O'KEEFFE