
The largest single-day increase in deaths
'A lot of pain' for New Yorkers

Health care workers talk to a man who came to be checked for coronavirus at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip. Credit: James Carbone
Cuomo said of the fatality numbers: "Behind every single one of those … is an individual … so a lot of pain again today for a lot of New Yorkers.”
Other numbers provided hope: The total of newly hospitalized COVID-19 patients did rise, but the three-day average is trending down. There was a drop in admissions to intensive care units, continuing a downward trend for the same period. And the number of people discharged from hospitals after treatment was up slightly.
However, Cuomo urged New Yorkers not to let up in practicing social distancing and taking all precautions to prevent the virus' spread and, when asked, he said neither he nor the population has become numbed to the human cost.
"The last thing I do is get numb," Cuomo said. "I can tell you for the hospital staff that go through this, they are not getting numb. For the families … they are not getting numb … When you have to put bodies in trucks, in parking lots, I mean, how could you get numb to any of this?"
The numbers as of 4 p.m.: 16,610 confirmed cases in Nassau, 14,517 in Suffolk, 76,876 in New York City and 138,836 statewide.
Mortuary system overwhelmed

A medical worker approaches a refrigerator truck being used as a morgue outside of Brooklyn Hospital Center. Credit: Getty Images/Stephanie Keith
So many people are dying from coronavirus in the metropolitan area that each link in the mortuary system is overstressed: morgues, hospitals, funeral homes, cemeteries, crematoria, even transportation between these places.
"There's people dying all over the place," said Dan Moloney, co-owner of Lake Ronkonkoma-based Moloney Family Funeral Homes. "We've never seen anything like this."
And the death toll is forecast to keep rising.
The number of deaths attributed to the coronavirus leapt in Nassau and Suffolk counties after officials changed how they are counting fatalities, switching from using their own totals to state tallies released publicly for the first time Sunday.
Of 620 people who have died in Nassau as of Monday, 500 were county residents. Of 266 people who died in Suffolk as of Monday, 263 were county residents.

This chart shows the cumulative number of people who have suffered coronavirus-related deaths and where they had lived. Updated April 7, 2020.
The above graph shows total deaths on Long Island by county and by day. See the latest maps and charts tracking cases, hospitalizations and more for Nassau and Suffolk.
Blood plasma from recovered patients
More than 200 people who have recovered from the coronavirus were expected to have their blood drawn Tuesday in Great Neck to see if they qualify to donate plasma — part of an experimental treatment to help patients with severe cases of COVID-19.
Researchers are working to determine if the antibodies in individuals who successfully fought back the virus can be used to stop the infection in other patients.
To participate, individuals must have tested positive or shown symptoms of COVID at least 21 days ago and have fully recovered for a minimum of 14 days.
20,000 tests for first responders
Nassau County on Wednesday is expected to begin administering the tests for COVID-19 and antibodies to county first responders, including police, medics and sheriff's correction officers, who have had outbreaks in their ranks.
Results from the finger-prick tests, which the county ordered from Melville-based medical supplier Henry Schein Inc. at a cost of $660,000, will be available in 15 minutes, officials said.
The test will check for the coronavirus along with antibodies that indicate whether the individual has recovered from infection. It can take a week or two for antibodies to appear after a person has been infected, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said.
Seder-to-go for Passover

Rabbi Anchelle Perl, outside Chabad Beth Sholom in Mineola, holds his "Seder-to-Go" kit. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Attendance at the communal Passover meal will be a scattered affair due to social distancing mandates. Extended families won’t gather. Public seders are canceled. There are plans to livestream seders on apps like Zoom, but these aren’t options for the most observant Jews, who don’t use technology on the holidays.
Rabbinical authorities have banned large gatherings, citing the importance of health above all else, and some rabbis have made exceptions to the traditional technology prohibition to allow online seders this year.
Rabbi Anchelle Perl of the Mineola Chabad, a Hasidic outreach group, isn't one of them. He is distributing Seder-to-Go kits — with plastic cups, a seder plate, grape juice, matzo and other contents — on Long Island to people who are afraid to go out or are hospitalized.
More to know

A worker at the construction site at Stony Brook University where a makeshit hospital was being built Monday. Credit: James Carbone
Hospitals on Long Island said they're making final preparations to ensure there are enough beds for patients, nurses and doctors to treat patients and personal protective equipment for staff during the peak.
Relatively few children with COVID-19 are hospitalized or experience severe symptoms of the virus, but they can still carry the disease to their elders, according to a new report released by the CDC.
Sports fans could get the most squished-together autumn in the history of American sports if the current schedules stand.
The sentencing of Edward Mangano, former Nassau County executive, and his wife, Linda, on corruption-related charges has been delayed until at least June because of the pandemic.
All pregnant mothers planning to deliver at one of Northwell Health's 11 local hospitals will be tested for COVID-19 before they give birth, according to the health system, which opened a drive-thru test site for some pregnant women.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in stable condition in a hospital intensive care unit with the coronavirus, and while he is not on a ventilator, he is receiving oxygen, his spokesman said.
Students scheduled to take June Regents exams will be excused from that testing requirement and granted credit toward graduation if teachers approve their coursework in required subjects, under a waiver announced by the state.
News for you

Joe Chionchio, 21, of Bay Shore, a finance major at Manhattan College, launched grocery delivery service Smart Shop LI. Credit: Joe Chionchio
Can't get a Peapod time slot? A 21-year-old Long Island entrepreneur has launched an alternative to the mainstream grocery delivery providers after hearing complaints from friends who were finding it practically impossible to book one.
Get your chocolate bunnies. While Easter celebrations will look much different this year, you don't have to go without your chocolate bunnies thanks to these local shops that are offering delivery and curbside pickup.
New 'Frozen' fix. If you already need a break from watching "Frozen 2" on repeat, Josh Gad, who voices Olaf in the Disney films, has teamed up remotely with the studio's animators to create 20 shorts starring his character. The first two were released this week.
A $68 steak for $25. Tellers, the perennially popular steakhouse in Islip, has partially transformed into a butcher shop and is selling its 20-ounce bone-in Celebration Strip and other cuts from its meat locker.
Drive-by art. For those who miss visiting museums, one local artist has created a drive-by art gallery outside her home, where she is displaying her watercolor creations with the option to purchase them via curbside pickup.

Artist Helen Murdock-Prep created a "drive-by museum" on her front lawn in Huntington on Saturday. Credit: Helen Murdock-Prep
Thinking of buying a bike? You're not alone. Long Island bike shops, which are allowed to remain open, have seen a recent uptick in sales and repairs as locals turn to cycling as a way to cope with the quarantine.
More 'Tiger King.' If you can't get enough of Joe Exotic, the focus of Netflix's breakout hit during the outbreak "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," the cable network Investigation Discovery is producing a miniseries sequel.
Plus: Wondering if you can catch the virus from groceries or mail, or whether you need to change and wash your clothes after being outside? Get answers to these and other frequently asked questions.
You can still keep up with what's going on with your local village government as more of them join towns and cities in video streaming their public meetings.
Visit our live blog for real time updates about the virus' impact on Long Island from newsmakers and reporters, and watch our latest daily wrap-up video .
Commentary

Cynthia Luik and new husband Ryan Rafferty celebrate their wedding on March 31 outside Huntington Town Hall Credit: Dorothy Luik
Love in the time of COVID-19. Coronavirus canceled the wedding of Cynthia Luik and Ryan Rafferty twice last month, but on March 31 the pair got their slippery knot tied, Lane Filler writes in his latest Newsday Opinion column.
They did it outside Huntington Town Hall rather than in the Cayman Islands, where they had planned nuptials for May 1. The ceremony was during the couple’s lunch hour rather than mid-vacation. Attendance was limited to the couple’s parents and the groom’s brother, rather than the 30 guests who had planned to travel.
But there was plenty of love and plenty of opportunity to show support with efforts large and small and special gestures.
And there have been plenty of marriages at Huntington Town Hall, as the coronavirus pandemic makes planned ceremonies and receptions unworkable and, for some, staying single unthinkable.