A Corona Virus Blog
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that NYC schools will be closed until the fall. Later, Governor Cuomo said that the power to open or close the schools rests with the governor, which started a new war of world and two different points of view. Exactly what is NOT needed right now.
Words can’t express this image.
A mass grave in New York on Hart’s Island. Hart Island contains New York City’s 131-acre (0.53 km2) potter’s field, or public cemetery. The potter’s field is variously described as the largest tax-funded cemetery in the United States,[58] the largest-such in the world,[45][59] and one of the largest mass graves in the United States.[60][61] More than one million dead are buried on the island, though since the 2000s, the burial rate has declined to fewer than 1,500 a year.
Reports indicate that New York is flattening its curve of new coronavirus cases. Which is great news. But New Jersey is projected to hit its peak in 2 to 3 days. That might translate in to 14,000 people needing to be hospitalized.
Globally, Africa and South America should be cause for major concern. While the reported numbers have been slow to increase, I am confident that they are much higher. Consider that many of these countries do not have anywhere the level of medical support that developed countries have, and they do not have the same level societal controls. I read that many countries in Africa only have 5 hospital beds per million people. Imagine how many people will have access to a ventilator. Even basic safety procedures can not be practiced in many of these countries, especially if you don’t have clean water to drink. The death rate could explode in Africa and South America.
Its hard to tell if the tri-state area is in a better place today than it was yesterday. According to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the total coronavirus deaths across New York hit a third-straight daily record with 799 fatalities on Wednesday. New Jersey reported 198 more deaths bring their total to 1,700.
I had to go for a walk late last night to avoid going house crazy. My daily highlight was placing my recycling curbside.
The number of coronavirus cases in New York City increased by more than 5,600 with 400 new deaths in just 24 hours. NY Governor Cuomo orders all flags to half-staff. NJ Governor Murphy order flags to be flown at half-staff on April 3rd and other states are following.
#staysafe
Like millions of other Americans, I have taken to Spring Cleaning. So I am attacking my shed first. Its time to get the garden hose out, test my clippers, and check the mower. I did purchase an inexpensive green house ($40), with the hopes of growing a few vegetables (you’ll need seeds).
It was great to hear that cases and deaths in NY/NJ are slowing down. But this doesn’t appear to be an indication that any stay at home orders are going to be removed.
As Corona infections and deaths continue to increase throughout the U.S., I watched a live stream of Palm Sunday services. But today a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger tested positive after developing a dry cough and is expected to recover, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. It seems like everyone (including animals) can get COVID-19.
The death toll continues to rise. I have been watching too much news. Over 1.1 Million people have the Corona virus. Almost 60k dead worldwide. New York had 562 deaths in the last 24 hours and expects the total death total to surpass 3,000 in a week.
10 AM: A new snapshot of our growing crisis.
As expected, U.S. jobless claims are skyrocketing.
The Department of Labor released its monthly jobs report at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday. Here were the main metrics from the report, compared to consensus data compiled by Bloomberg:
