New York state’s COVID-19 death toll tops 10,000, but Cuomo says “the worst is over”

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state lost 671 people to COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 10,056, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported Monday morning at his daily briefing.

The daily death number was down from 758 the day before and 783 two days ago. At the same time, the number of new daily infections dropped precipitously to 6,337 from 8,236 a day before and 9,946 two days ago. The 3.4 percent daily increase in COVID-19 cases is the lowest since the pandemic slammed the state a few weeks ago.

The governor also reported that fewer people were in intensive-care units and fewer people were intubated than the previous day.

Cuomo cited the improved numbers when he declared, “the worst is over.” He said the state is controlling the spread of the coronavirus, and it has not overwhelmed the health-care system.

At the same time, the governor stressed the need to stay the course with social-distancing measures implemented in the state and he said the reopening of businesses needed to be done carefully, incrementally, and in phases.

That will involve easing isolation measures, increasing economic activity, recalibrating how you define essential workers, and applying more testing and precautions such as masks and temperature taking — all with the goal of making sure not to increase the state’s infection rate.

“There is no on-off switch,” Cuomo says.