Inside LI hospitals: 'Everyone is unbelievably sick'

An insider's view of LI hospitals 

"Normally, you'll walk through a hospital and you'll see someone who is very sick, but then you'll go in another room and people are happy because they're going home. Here, everyone is unbelievably sick, and there are no visitors to be with them.

"It's not like anything you've ever seen."

That's just one of the insights Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, the area’s largest health care provider with 19 hospitals on Long Island, shared in a recent interview with Newsday about the pandemic.

Dowling did see some hopeful signs. "I do think we have potentially turned the corner," he said. "The last couple days, it's been flattening. We've been discharging 450 to 500 people per day in recent days, and we've seen the number of people coming in flatten. But we have to be cautious, because we could be in for a big surprise tomorrow."

See what else he had to say about social distancing, the data trends and what comes next for the health care industry.

'We are by no means out of the woods'

New York reported another day of record-high deaths, 799 since Tuesday, Cuomo said, comparing the fatalities to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“I thought in my lifetime I would never see anything like that again," he said. “That this should literally eclipse that in terms of numbers of dead in this state? It’s almost unimaginable to me."

But he said the number of new hospitalizations remained fairly flat, giving hope that the state's curve of pandemic is flattening while also warning New Yorkers that they must continue to adhere to strict social distancing directives or the numbers would shoot up again.

"We are by no means out of the woods," he added.

The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 18,548 confirmed cases in Nassau, 15,844 in Suffolk, 81,803 in New York City and 149,316 statewide.

LI's Hispanic communities hit hard

Cuomo lamented the impact of the virus among minority communities and poor people in the state, who seem overrepresented in the grim tally of deaths, and vowed to immediately put resources toward more testing and research in those communities.

On Long Island, Hispanic population centers are suffering some of the highest rates of coronavirus cases, according to a Newsday analysis of county and state data.

Six heavily Hispanic communities in Suffolk and five in Nassau are among the Island’s hardest hit based on the prevalence of infections, the speed at which the number of cases has risen or their gross numbers of cases.

“The numbers are just staggering,” said Jorge Guadron, president of the Salvadoran American Chamber of Commerce of Long Island who lives in Central Islip, one of the communities that has borne the brunt of the disease.

In the above map, the areas with darker shading are the communities with the higher concentration of cases per 100,000 people. See the latest charts tracking cases, hospitalizations and more for Nassau and Suffolk. 

Pandemic tests doctor who is also a rabbi

Passover is usually a happy time, but not this year for Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, who is both a rabbi in Hewlett and an infectious disease specialist at nearby Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital.

During the past month, the pandemic has forced Glatt to agonize over numerous life-or-death situations and worry that the highly infectious illness might spread further.

Of all these haunting images that Glatt said he has seen, none seems more tragic than the little boy he kept from saying goodbye in person to his 42-year-old father before the man died from the virus. 

“I keep seeing the crying face of this 8- or 9-year-old boy and I’m having trouble getting him out of my mind,” recalled Glatt. “I see that poor child crying for his father and I don’t have any words as a doctor or any as a rabbi.” 

Worried about relatives in assisted living

The anxiety, fears and crushing sense of guilt can at times be overwhelming.

For nearly a month, nursing homes and assisted living facilities across Long Island and the rest of New York have remained shuttered to guests in an effort to lock down the COVID-19 pandemic from the virus' most vulnerable potential victims. 

For their families, the uncertainty is often the worst part. When they are eventually allowed to visit, they wonder, will their parent of grandparent have survived? Or, will the quarantine sentence their loved ones to a fate of dying alone?

These are a few of their stories.

Eye on high school sports

The hope for this spring season is eternal. There might even be some reason for optimism.

Cuomo has suspended school attendance, and therefore high school sports, until April 29. While that might not allow enough time for a full soup-to-nuts spring season — non-conference games, a regular season and playoffs — it would be enough for something close.

Section XI (Suffolk) executive director Tom Combs and Section VIII (Nassau) executive director Pat Pizzarelli said that date comes with leeway for a modified spring season.

"If we can come back in the beginning of May, we are fine,” Combs said. “Even the middle of May is OK. I don’t know all the answers, but I’d say if we come back June 1, we’re done.”

More to know

Medical experts warn that a relaxation of business closures and social-distancing guidelines too soon "would be a catastrophe."

A crackdown on short-term rentals is launching in the Town of Southampton, as officials believe they violate new emergency protocols in place due to COVID-19.

New York State will get more money in the next coronavirus spending bill, but it might not be as much as Cuomo wants as he tries to balance his budget, several lawmakers said this week.

Singer-songwriter John Prine, who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery” and scores of other indelible songs, died from complications from the coronavirus, his family said.

Any New York voter who wants an absentee ballot for the June primary will be allowed to obtain one, Cuomo said, citing videos of Wisconsin residents standing six feet or so apart in long lines for their recent primary.

Broadway producers have extended the suspension of all shows on the Great White Way through early June, and across Long Island, theaters are stuck in limbo.

News for you

How are the kids holding up? Local psychologists are considering what effects isolation is having on children and families, and what the long-term impacts may be. See how it could vary based on your children's ages. 

Best bike trails. Fresh air plus a change of scenery might do you and the family good. Check out one of these local bike trails but remember to observe social distancing rules.

Help for local businesses. If you own a local business, find out how you can receive as much monetary aid as possible in this replay of Newsday's webinar with members of the Small Business Association and the Long Island Association.

Hungry? Thirsty? There's an app for that. Whether you're craving breakfast, lunch, dinner, ice cream or even booze, there's an app that will bring it swiftly to your door and with the option of contactless deliveries. Here are 11 to know about, including some that are waiving delivery fees.

Hidden '80s gems. You may consider yourself a fan of '80s films, but bet you haven't watched everything on our critic's list of 11 forgotten films from the decade that you should discover during your time at home.

Dinner and a movie with a twist. One local theater is launching a weekly online cooking show with movie-related recipes from local restaurateur Martin Butera. The first episode features a version of his famous meatballs.

Plus: If you want to use this time you're stuck at home to tidy up your living space, try these spring cleaning tips from local experts.

Find more upbeat ways to safely spend your time at home here.

And stay on top of the latest news about the virus' impact on Long Island by visiting our live blog and watching our latest daily wrap-up video .

Commentary

Why this night is different. Tonight, Jews around the world will sit at their seder tables and observe Passover, former Democratic congressman Steve Israel writes in a Newsday Opinion column. We will recite the Hagaddah, the telling, of the enslavement and liberation of Jews in ancient Egypt. Perhaps the most recognizable portion of the Hagaddah is the “Four Questions”: Why is this night different from all others?”

This year, as a pandemic takes and changes lives, the question sounds like an ironic joke rather than a familiar refrain.

Tonight, the proscribed ritual that commences the Seder — the washing of the hands — is a commandment from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Tonight, the 10 plagues (blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of the first born children) aren’t implausible but relatable.