Virus' toll on LI minority communities
'Communities of color have been devastated'
Suffolk County has set up coronavirus testing sites in heavily populated minority communities, incuding Brentwood. Credit: James Carbone
On Long Island, African Americans make up about 12% of Nassau's population and had a virus death rate of 19%, while Latinos were nearly 17% of the county's population and composed 12% of virus deaths, according to the state.
In Suffolk, blacks were just under 8% of the population and made up 12% of the deaths. Latinos, at nearly 19% of Suffolk's population, composed 15% of the deaths.
The analysis shows that two-thirds of those living in the 20 Suffolk communities with the largest number of infections per capita, as of May 6, are black or Latino, as are 62% of those living in the top 20 Nassau communities.
The map below shows which Long Island communities have higher concentrations of cases.
Suffolk data as of May 12. Nassau data as of May 10. The total number of cases assigned to Long Island communities by Nassau and Suffolk officials is less than countywide totals because of issues with patient addresses.
Search the map and see more charts showing local trends in testing, deaths and hospitalizations.
One of the reasons why the numbers are so high, health officials said, is because some blacks and Latinos do not have health insurance. Spurred by the data, local and state leaders are bringing together experts from across the health, social and economic sectors to tackle the root causes of health care inequities.
"Communities of color have been devastated by this crisis, and government at the local, state and federal level must respond accordingly,” Nassau Executive Laura Curran said.
The numbers as of 3 p.m.: 38,434 confirmed cases in Nassau, 37,062 in Suffolk, 186,123 in New York City and 338,485 statewide.
Children's syndrome linked to COVID: What to know
State health officials are increasingly concerned about a mysterious set of symptoms that seem to be linked to COVID-19 that have stricken children, a group thought to be the least likely to develop life-threatening issues from the novel coronavirus.
Nearly 100 young New Yorkers have come into hospitals with toxic-shock inflammation symptoms as of Monday — and three of them have died, officials said.
We know you have questions about this new children's syndrome, including what you should do if your child is showing symptoms. Here are some answers.
Fauci cautions against reopening too soon
Protesters at a Re-Open New York Rally at the Nassau Legislative Building in Mineola. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, warned that “the consequences could be really serious” if cities and states reopen the U.S. economy too quickly.
More COVID-19 infections are inevitable as people again start gathering, but how prepared communities are to stamp out those sparks will determine how bad the rebound is, Fauci told the Senate Health, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“There is no doubt, even under the best of circumstances, when you pull back on mitigation you will see some cases appear,” Fauci said.
And if there is a rush to reopen without following guidelines, “my concern is we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks,” he said.
LI's Chinese restaurants show resilience
Calvin Hu, co-owner of Hunan Taste in Greenvale. Credit: Daniel Brennan
It’s been a rough spring for all restaurants, but particularly Chinese ones.
By the time most local businesses were considering whether to pivot from dine-in to takeout or to close altogether, many Chinese establishments had already shuttered.
In February, Calvin Hu, who owns Hunan Taste in Greenvale with his brother, noticed a drop-off in business.
“People were nervous about eating Chinese — I get it," he said, but by mid-March, they were "crazy busy."
What persuaded Hu to close his doors on March 25 was his kitchen staff, who mostly commute from Queens and were worried about coming in to work and then going back to their families.
Hu hopes to reopen in May. “Chinese restaurants are resilient,” he said. “We will be back.”
See how other local Chinese restaurants are faring.
More to know
A Freeport resident leaves Village Hall on Monday after picking up free personal protective equipment provided to residents to help in the fight against COVID-19. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
The Village of Freeport will become the first Long Island local government to distribute masks and gloves to all of its residents.
At least 340 resident physicians in New York City have confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases, according to a new report that cites a lack of adequate testing and safety equipment among young doctors.
MLB owners approved a tentative plan to start the 2020 season in July, but the players’ union is not expected to agree to this version of the proposal because of concerns about safety and money, sources said.
Outdoor tennis will be permitted again in New York, as of Friday, but just what this means to Long Island’s tennis community will need to be sorted out over the next few days.
The Shinnecock Indian Nation has received $1.8 million in restricted funding through the federal CARES Act to help cover COVID-19-related current and future costs.
News for you
The 1985 movie "Goonies," starring Jeff Cohen, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman and Jonathan Ke Quan, will be the first screened at this summer's Town of North Hempstead drive-in series. Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Watch a drive-in movie. Providing what could be the first communal moviegoing experience since local theaters closed in March, North Hempstead is launching a free weekly drive-in movie series starting May 23 with “Goonies.”
Bike for beer. One local brewery is inviting cyclists to join in a socially distant bike ride to earn swag and beer tokens, which can be redeemed for two to-go brews.
Finally see "Hamilton." While Broadway remains dark until Labor Day, you'll soon be getting your shot to see the hit show "Hamilton" if you're a Disney Plus subscriber. A filmed version of the musical is coming to the streaming service in early July.
Family meal deals. America’s chain restaurants know that families are economizing these days. If you're looking for a bargain, check out these to-go offers at 11 popular eateries, including one to feed a family of eight for $30.
Get text alerts. As Long Island and the nation move toward reopening schools, businesses and other aspects of daily life, we're offering you another way to get the most important coronavirus news and information, right to your phone. Sign up for our text alerts to hear directly from our journalists.
Plus: Join our latest free webinar tomorrow at 10 a.m., which will feature a discussion on what it will take to restart the local economy and potential business strategies to preserve public health. Reserve your spot here and submit questions in advance by emailing nmgevents@newsday.com.
Get real-time updates about the virus' impact on Long Island by visiting our live blog and watch our latest daily wrap-up video.
Commentary
This chart shows the average residential electrical usage for the East End over a five-week period. Credit: Newsday/Kai Teoh
East End rentals, electric use jump during lockdown. It was on March 25, just as the sheer terror of the coronavirus engulfed our region, that Dr. Deborah Birx took to a White House podium to sound the alarm, Rita Ciolli writes in her latest Newsday Opinion column.
“We remain deeply concerned about New York City and the New York metro area,” said Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. “We are starting to see new cases across Long Island that suggest people have left the city.”
Days later, 10 East End town supervisors and mayors wrote to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and asked him to bar diseased New York City residents from escaping to the farther reaches of Suffolk. The officials feared that the limited health care system could not cope with the increased population, and that grocery stores and other services would be overwhelmed.
They were already too late to set up barricades. The city folks had pretty much come early and were staying in their summer homes and seasonal rentals.
To get a better understanding of just what happened, The Point sought one common denominator: electrical usage.
