Travelers from 3 more states added to NY quarantine order
Quarantine travel advisory now applies to 19 states
A nurse waits for patients at JFK International Airport Terminal 4 XpresCheck, the first airport-based COVID-19 testing facility in the U.S. Credit: AFP via Getty Images/Johannes Eisele
Cuomo announced the move as the number of coronavirus cases is increasing in most states and in some cases breaking daily records and threatening to overwhelm hospitals and testing centers.
"As states around the country experience increasing community spread, New York is taking action to ensure the continued safety of our phased reopening. Our entire response to this pandemic has been by the numbers, and we've set metrics for community spread just as we set metrics for everything," Cuomo said in a statement.
The other states under the self-quarantine orders are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
About 588 people out of 56,736 tested on Monday in New York were confirmed positive for the coronavirus, for a 1.04% level, according to data released Tuesday by the state.
Cuomo’s inclusion of three more states on the self-quarantine list came as the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States drew close to 3 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, which tracks the number of cases worldwide.
The number of new positives today, as of 3 p.m.: 35 in Nassau, 45 in Suffolk, 272 in New York City and 588 statewide.
The lines illustrate the cumulative number of people who have undergone coronavirus testing.
This chart shows the cumulative number of people who have been tested for the coronavirus in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Search a map and view more charts showing the latest local trends in cases, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
How does the virus spread? Doctors discuss transmission
While there has been more clarity around the issue of how coronavirus spreads, questions remain.
Does the virus linger in the air after a carrier sneezes? Does the virus live on surfaces, and if so, which kind? What makes indoor transmission so much more dangerous?
Newsday interviewed two Long Island doctors, Bruce Polsky, chairman of medicine at NYU Winthrop in Mineola, and Susan Donelan, medical director of health care epidemiology at Stony Brook Medicine, about how the virus spreads and why the greatest defense against it remains wearing masks and washing your hands.
Read what they had to say and get more answers to common questions about the pandemic.
Chembio to try again to win FDA approval for antibody test
A rapid test and results reader for the coronavirus from Chembio Diagnostics Inc., seen on March 22. Credit: Chembio Diagnostics Inc.
Chembio Diagnostics Inc. will try to regain the federal approval it lost for a new coronavirus antibody test that was found to produce inaccurate results in some cases, executives announced on Monday.
They also said the Hauppauge manufacturer is developing a coronavirus antigen test that determines if a patient has the virus by detecting fragments of proteins found on or within the virus. The test involves samples collected from the nasal cavity using swabs.
The project has received $628,071 from the U.S. Department of Health.
The announcements follow last month’s decision by the federal Food and Drug Administration to revoke the Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, granted to Chembio in April to sell its rapid test for coronavirus antibodies domestically. The FDA’s decision led to a sell-off of the company’s stock, with shares losing 61% of their value on June 18.
Long-married couple died 18 days apart of COVID-19
Jean Lau Chin and her husband, Gene Chin, shown on New Year's Eve 2019. The couple died 18 days apart of COVID-19. Credit: Scott Chin
As the machines in the ICU loudly beeped, nurses pushed together the beds of Jean Lau Chin and Gene Chin. The couple extended their arms past tubing, held each other’s hands tightly, their eyes locked.
Hospital staff had kept the couple at opposite ends of the ICU for safety reasons. But on April 15, they brought them together for about 20 minutes to speak to their sons via videoconferencing.
That brief time as a family turned out to be their last.
The couple, who would have been married for 52 years in August, died 18 days apart from COVID-19. He died on April 25 at 79, and she on May 13 at 75, at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola. Read their story.
More to know
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority internal watchdog report notes overtime went up at most MTA agencies last year, and this year’s overall drop is mostly due to improved weather and the pandemic.
The rampant COVID-19 infections and deaths that surged through nursing homes statewide were transmitted by staff — not transferred hospital patients — according to a report from the New York State Department of Health.
More than 60,250 Paycheck Protection Program loans were made in Nassau and Suffolk counties, out of 332,900 statewide, according to data released on Monday.
The Nets were scheduled to depart Tuesday for Orlando for the restart of the NBA season later this month, but leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie announced he won't be with them after testing positive a second time.
The Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational, set for October, has been canceled due to concerns over the pandemic, Manhattan College announced.
News for you
Andrea Nellis, of Rockville Centre, modified her basement so she could use it as her craft room. Credit: Bruce Gilbert
Going big on basements. While stuck at home, some people have been spending more time in remodeled basements with gyms, game rooms or home offices. See how some Long Islanders are making the most of it.
Spend a day on the water. Paddleboarding and kayaking are popular on Long Island. Find out where you can rent the gear you need for the activities.
For first-time homebuyers. A Long Island nonprofit will hold an online information session this week about a mortgage program for people looking to buy their first home.
Playgrounds worth the drive. Nearly every neighborhood on Long Island has a place for kids to play. As playgrounds reopen, consider these for a day of (socially distant) fun.
The Facebook show won't go on. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood's Facebook concert planned for Tuesday night has been pushed back to a later date after someone on their team was potentially exposed to the coronavirus.
Plus: Looking for new summer books for kids? Three Long Island authors have new children's books out.
Get real-time updates about the virus' impact on the Island by visiting our live blog and watch our latest daily wrap-up video.
Sign up for text messages to get the most important coronavirus news and information.
Commentary
People wait in line at a mask distribution event on June 26 in Miami. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
Make masks accessories, not annoyances. Virginia Postrel, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, asks: Why all the fuss about masks? Why won't people just wear them?
"Masking has become controversial. It shouldn't be," former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News' "Face the Nation." To health experts, masks seem like a simple, apolitical precaution. In medical jargon, they're personal protective equipment, or PPE, like surgeons' gowns, gloves and face screens. Nobody thinks a doctor, nurse or emergency medical technician is a coward for gearing up.
On the streets of everyday life, however, masks are something more. They aren't like safety glasses, life preserver vests, or seat belts — special protection for a limited task in a specialized environment.
