Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday that the measures the state has taken to 'flatten the curve' are showing clear signs of working in combatting the spread of the coronavirus.

New hospitalizations have remained relatively steady over the past few days, with only 85 new patients admitted since yesterday, Cuomo said in his daily update on Saturday. There are 18,654 coronavirus patients hospitalized across New York as of Saturday morning.

For perspective, there were 1,427 coronavirus-related hospital admissions between April 1 and 2. Despite these encouraging trends, New York recorded 783 deaths from the coronavirus since Friday, up from 777 the day prior.

The total death toll in New York as a result of the virus is 8,627, per the state's department of health. Well over 5,000 of those deaths are concentrated in New York City. 

In the US, the death toll is over 18,800, the highest in the world. As Cuomo has explained in previous updates, deaths are a "lagging indicator" as most patients are sick for weeks before they die. 

The death toll in New York is "stabilizing at a horrific rate," Cuomo said. He added the state looks at three-day averages in hospitalizations, intensive care admissions, and intubations rather than day-to-day data, which can be noisy — and that all of the key indicators are moving in the right direction. 

Here are the other key takeaways from Cuomo's daily update:

  • Cuomo pushed back on New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio's announcement that the city's school system would be closed through September.
  • "There has been no decision on schools," Cuomo said. "He didn't close them and he can't open them. It is my legal authority in this situation."
  • Cuomo called for regional coordination on the schools in the New York City metropolitan area, including Connecticut, New Jersey, and Westchester-area schools. He said that it will take a "few days" to come to a binding decision.
  • Cuomo said he has no "political agenda" in response to a question about whether he would seek the Democratic nomination over Vice President Joe Biden.
  • "On the one hand it's flattering, on the other hand, it's irrelevant," Cuomo said. "I'm not running for president, I'm not running for Vice President. I'm staying right here."
  • "The best thing we have done to date is kept politics out of the discussion," he said. "Even though this is a hyper-partisan time... we've kept politics out of the crisis."
  • He also praised President Trump's responsiveness in helping New York through the crisis. 
  • In terms of reopening businesses in the state, Cuomo said it is both a "political question and an economic question."
  • "I am unwilling to divorce the two," he said. "You can't ask New York to choose between lives lost and dollars gained. No one is going to make that quid pro quo." 
  • Cuomo said now is not yet time for "Monday quarterbacking," because "the game isn't over yet," referring to those who are questioning why some models showed much higher projections for deaths and hospitalizations than New York has experienced.
  • It's difficult for these models to account for government intervention and whether the public adheres to the guidelines laid out by officials.
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