Have we arrived at the apex?
'A possible flattening of the curve'
Firefighters pay tribute to healthcare workers outside and across the street at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow on Monday. Credit: Howard Schnapp
The governor cautioned against complacency because the data are not yet definitive and stringent measures to contain the virus need to remain in force.
If New York's cases are indeed plateauing, he said it's because social distancing rules and other measures are working and now is not the time to let up. He announced schools and nonessential businesses will remain closed through April 29, and increased maximum fines for violating social distancing rules to $1,000.
Cuomo added: "Whether we hit the apex or didn’t hit the apex … This is an enemy that we have underestimated from Day One and we have paid dearly” for doing so.
The apex can still evolve in different ways, either as a curve, a peak or a plateau, and much will depend on how prevention measures are implemented.
These bars track how many patients are currently hospitalized for coronavirus each day by the location of the hospital. Updated 4/6/20.
The above graph shows total Long Island hospitalized cases. See the latest maps and charts tracking cases, hospitalizations and more for Nassau and Suffolk.
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 15,616 confirmed cases in Nassau, 13,487 in Suffolk, 72,181 in New York City and 130,689 statewide.
Skip the supermarket
A woman practices social distancing outside Costco in Westbury on Monday. Credit: Howard Schnapp
With the apex of the COVID-19 pandemic looming over New York in the coming days, experts are warning people to take even stronger measures to limit their exposure to the potentially deadly virus.
That means Long Islanders should think twice before making seemingly necessary trips to the supermarket this week.
“You shouldn’t be hoarding but you also shouldn’t be running in every day for a fresh container of milk and then the next day for some orange juice,” said Dr. Mark Jarrett, chief quality control officer for Northwell Health. “It is probably a good week to minimize it. If you have forgotten something, unless it’s a medication … you live without it for a week.”
'We don’t scare easily. And this is scary.'
Emergency room nurses from Long Island Community Hospital in East Patchogue speak with Newsday about the war zone they experience on the front lines the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Newsday
Helpless. Scared. Vulnerable. Weary. That’s how Long Island emergency room nurses on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic say they’re feeling as they care for the influx of patients.
“We’re walking into work completely fearful and feeling very defeated before we even get there,” said Abigail Desmond, one of seven local nurses who spoke with Newsday via a group video interview. “Every single day, we are so uncertain what will happen. Every single day, this is changing. That is the scariest thing for us.”
Long Islanders we've lost
Christopher Madden, 49, vice president of the Copiague Board of Education, died Friday, his wife Jennifer Madden said. Credit: Thomas Humphrey
A school board member. A pastor. Two veterans. They were among the Long Islanders who died recently from COVID-19.
Christopher Madden was the vice president of the Copiague Board of Education. He died at 49 of the coronavirus and had no underlying illness, according to his wife.
“I want people to remember him for what he did for our community and how much he loved our community and wanted to help every family and kid possible,” Jennifer Madden said.
Rev. Isaac Graham, a pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church of Harlem, grew up on Long Island and was quick with a joke but even faster to offer a word of encouragement, according to his family.
Graham died at 67 from coronavirus, exacerbated by diabetes, his wife, Cheryl Graham, said.
And two veterans who had coronavirus, as well as other underlying medical conditions, also died at Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University, officials said.
At least 580 people have died on Long Island as a result of the virus, local officials said.
The survivors
Linda Langer stepped out of her Bellmore home for the first time in two weeks to take a much-needed walk around the block but didn’t make it more than a few feet before she broke down in tears.
Langer and other Long Islanders who have recovered from the virus are grateful but face their own troubling questions: Why were they spared when upward of 55,000 have died worldwide, including 6,500 in the United States? And do they risk getting sick again?
More to know
The shuttered Long Beach Medical Center is the focus of a request from local representatives to the governor and health officials that asks them to consider reopening it to treat COVID-19 patients on the barrier island.
You could have the virus and never know since as many as 25% of people with it are asymptomatic and remain so, according to the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A poll of New Yorkers revealed that 77% said they expect the virus and the shutdown of much of the economy will cause them serious financial problems, among other findings.
A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced.
New York State's Regents exams, mainstays to high school graduation standards for more than 150 years, will be canceled temporarily in June, a top education official declared.
Research scientists on Long Island are among those around the world working nonstop to test drug treatments for COVID-19.
U.S. stocks surged 7%, building on a global rally, on early signs that the rate of increase in virus deaths could be slowing.
The U.S. Open at Winged Foot, scheduled for June 18-21, has been postponed until September, the United States Golf Association announced Monday.
News for you
What to know about the apex. It's believed that we may be entering the apex of the outbreak in New York, but what exactly does that mean and how long will it last? Get answers to these and other questions about this crucial period.
Drive-by Easter Bunny. Even the Easter Bunny is practicing social distancing this year. See where your kids can see him from afar this Saturday, enjoy an egg hunt without leaving your car and participate in virtual holiday crafts.
Brunch to-go. Sleeping in later these days and missing breakfast? There's a good excuse to bring brunch to you from these local restaurants offering nifty spreads to go or delivered to your door, sometimes along with requisite day-drinking bloodies, too.
A brunch spread including a twist on eggs benedict, pineapple upside down pancakes, breakfast tacos and a Reuben sandwich at Hatch in Huntington. Credit: Daniel Brennan
Don't get scammed. Some fraudsters are using the pandemic to profit by selling phony products and using fake emails, texts and social media posts to separate you from your cash and your personal information. Here’s what you need to look out for and how to protect yourself.
Life after the virus. You might be wondering what society will look like after we get through this pandemic, and you're not alone. Academic futurists say the virus will accelerate big changes already underway such as more people working at home, having fewer but better friends and the establishment of more corner bars, among other predictions.
Plus: If you've already watched everything in your Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime libraries, there's now a new streaming service called Quibi to help pass your quarantine time. See what's unique about it and what shows our critic recommends.
Head over to our live blog for real time updates about the virus' impact on Long Island from newsmakers and reporters and watch our latest daily video wrap-up.
Commentary
The search for spirituality in a time of crisis. It’s been a spiritually and emotionally draining time for many of us, Randi F. Marshall writes in her latest Newsday Opinion column.
Even on our darkest days during and after past tragedies — from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to superstorm Sandy — we were able to gather, to hug, to be shoulders to cry on.
None of that is possible as the coronavirus pandemic explodes through New York, the epicenter of the national outbreak. That lack of communal and physical contact will be particularly poignant as one of the holiest times of the year for Christians and Jews approaches.
