In order for the coronavirus (COVID-19) to stop spreading, about 75% of the population needs to have an antibody either through infection or vaccination. However, since there is no vaccination, stopping the spread can be achieved only through infection and if it spreads, about 6.5% of those infected will require hospitalization and/or intensive care.
These statistics come from Dr. Kitaw Demissie of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University who recently spoke to the AmNews about the now global pandemic of COVID-19. As of March 11, over 125,000 people worldwide, at least 1,000 in the U.S. and 53 in New York City have been infected with COVID-19. Nearly 4,600 have died worldwide including 31 in the U.S.
“The strategy is not to panic,” Demissie said. “It’s not an airborne disease. It’s passed through droplets from coughing or sneezing. The basic strategy is to wash your hands frequently with soap or use hand sanitizer and it’s always good to avoid touching your eyes and face. If you know someone who is infected, avoid contact and exposure.”
Demissie emphasized that the elderly and people with underlying health conditions––like cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure––can have serious cases of coronavirus and are most at risk of having serious cases that could result in death.
The first death of coronavirus in the tri-state area occurred this week with the passing of a 60-year-old man in New Jersey. Reports indicate the man had high blood pressure and diabetes. He worked at Yonkers Raceway, which has since been closed.
From canceled events, to warnings about crowded subways, school closures and even the National Guard coming in, the city is trying to get a handle on coronavirus while trying to keep some sense of normalcy.
On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio held a roundtable discussion for ethnic and community media about the latest on coronavirus. He said the city could be battling with trying to control coronavirus which could take as long as six months.
“We will do everything we have to do to keep everyone safe,” he said. “The scientific community is trying to understand this disease including our own health workers in New York City.”
De Blasio warned that he has no plans to shut down the city, close schools or the public transit system but that it’s up to individual New Yorkers to keep coronavirus under control.
“For the next six months we are going to be dealing with this,” he said. “We’d like to believe at the end of six months or so we’re going to be coming out of it. Whatever number of people who get this we have a pretty clear chart of what’s going to happen to those people. Our goal is to keep it to as few people as possible.”
The city will hire an additional 85 school nurses to ensure every district school building has a full-time nurse by the end of the week. All international school trips have been cancelled for the remainder of the school year.
“I think we all agree that closing schools is probably the last option because of the…just the myriad of issues that creates for not only students, parents, teachers, et cetera,” Chancellor Richard Carranza said. “So that’s a one––it’s on the spectrum of a last resort. But we have contingency plans already developed for if we need to get there, how we get there.”
New York City Transit, MTA Bus Company, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North are significantly increasing the frequency and intensity of sanitizing procedures at each of its stations, moving to disinfecting efforts twice a day, and continuing its daily cleanings on its fleet of rolling stock with the full fleet of train cars and buses completed every 72 hours or less.
To reduce overcrowding, the city is advising private-sector employers and employees to consider telecommuting where possible and to consider staggered start times for workers. Those who take the subways at rush hour should consider commuting to work via alternative modes of transportation, like biking or walking, if possible.
“Our top priority is to ensure we are doing all we can to make the system as safe as possible for customers and employees,” said Patrick J. Foye, MTA chairman and CEO. “We are investigating new advanced disinfectant methods to build on the round-the-clock efforts our hard-working employees are undertaking to sanitize the system.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State will contract with 28 private labs to increase testing capacity for the novel coronavirus. Following a call with the 28 labs, the governor announced that he has instructed the labs to begin testing immediately as soon as they are ready.
“While the risk to New Yorkers remains low, we are taking a number of steps out of an abundance of caution to protect public health including asking SUNY and CUNY to implement strategies to reduce density on campuses for the remainder of the semester,” Cuomo said. “At the same time, we’re continuing to prioritize ramping up testing capacity because the more people you identify as having the virus, the better you can contain it.”
Cuomo deployed the National Guard to New Rochelle, just 25 miles north of New York City. The area currently has 108 confirmed cases and is considered a “cluster.” The protocols include closing schools, houses of worship and other large gathering facilities within a one-mile radius in New Rochelle for a two-week period, from March 12 to March 25. The national guard will assist with delivering food and public cleaning.
Advocates and elected officials called on Cuomo and the state legislature to take immediate action in support of incarcerated people and their families by granting clemencies to vulnerable people in prison, including older and sick incarcerated people.
“It is just a matter of time before this virus enters New York State prisons and jails,” said Oliver Fein, M.D. and chair of the Board for Physicians for National Health Program. “When it does, it will inevitably spread. Prisons are not built to control and prevent the spread of viruses. We should take the affirmative step of releasing older people and others who are vulnerable to contract this virus when it begins to enter the prison system.”
