New York state is stockpiling medical supplies in preparation for the height of the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

New York state has confirmed 66,497 cases of the novel coronavirus as of Monday, and 1,218 people have died, Cuomo said at a daily briefing. The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected at least 784,300 people and killed at least 37,600 worldwide.

The state has been storing medical supplies, such as ventilators and protective equipment, at a warehouse in New Jersey, Cuomo said. The supplies will be saved for when hospitals experience an influx of patients during the highest point of the outbreak, he said.

“If you are not preparing for the apex, you are missing the entire point of the operation,” Cuomo said. “It is a fundamental blunder to only plan for today.”

It’s unknown when the virus will reach its peak in New York state, but experts and data suggest the state should plan for the height of the outbreak to occur in two to four weeks, he said.

---

MORE COVERAGE:

• Graduate employees balance online courses with health and professional work
  
• Syracuse businesses may receive up to $25,000 in loans from the city
  
• Students from across the US return home, cancel plans due to coronavirus
  
• SU faculty, students print 3D face shields for health care workers
  

---

Both public and private hospitals have agreed to collaborate to increase the capacity of the state’s hospital system, Cuomo said. The collaboration involves lending medical supplies to one another and transferring patients from overwhelmed hospitals to ones facing less stress, he said.

“We are going to work as one cohesive family system,” said Kenneth Raske, president and CEO of the Greater New York Hospital Association, at the briefing. “With each day that goes on, the stress points will increase.”

Cuomo called on medical professionals from areas of the county with fewer cases of COVID-19 to volunteer their time to help New York state.

“We need to recruit more health care workers,” he said. “If you do not have a crisis in your community, come help us now.”

The state still needs more supplies and more staff, Cuomo said. The prices of ventilator units have risen from $20,000 at the beginning of the pandemic to about $50,000, he said.

Cuomo thanked the Javits Center for setting up its emergency hospital, which received its first few patients today. The center will provide 25,000 available hospital beds, he said.

While the state has done all it can to implement social distancing measures and reduce the number of cases expected at the outbreak’s peak, the primary goal is to keep the hospital system from becoming overwhelmed, Cuomo said.

“The frontline battle is in the health care system,” he said. “Do everything you can to save every life possible. That’s what this is all about.”

Published on March 30, 2020 at 10:11 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan