New York: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that the "worst is over" in the battle against the novel coronavirus pandemic, as he announced that the death toll in the state from COVID-19 surpassed 10,000.
Cuomo said 671 more people died from coronavirus on Easter Sunday, raising the state's death toll to 10,056.
He said the death toll of 671 is not as bad as it has been in the past few days when more than 750 people died daily. The death toll now is "basically flat and basically flat at a horrific level of pain, grief and sorrow, he said.
The number of newly hospitalized patients in the state was at its lowest level in two weeks and Cuomo said he has reason to believe that the worst phase of the pandemic is over for New York.
"I believe the worst is over. If we continue to be smart going forward, but yes I think you can say that the worst is over," Cuomo said.
"I was not sure that we could keep the tide from overwhelming our hospital capacity. And they (hospital workers) did. Feel good about that. I believe that the worst is over if we continue to be smart. I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy and we can have a plan where you start to see some businesses reopening, he said.
The Governor said that New York has been able to control the spread and New Yorkers should feel good about that. He said the outbreak has not overwhelmed the healthcare system and the state has controlled the spread. There is confidence to be taken in that and that's an accomplishment.
Cuomo said that the "good news" is that the curve continues to flatten. The state is experiencing a plateau of cases and not an apex but the plateau is flattening, he added.
The Governor cautioned that re-opening the economy would require a delicate balance of gradually easing isolation and increase economic activity, listening to what the experts say and not politicians.
New York City, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, now alone has over 100,000 coronavirus cases, more than the confirmed cases in China and the United Kingdom.
According to data from the New York City government, an increase of at least 5,695 cases on Sunday put New York City's total number of coronavirus infections at over 104,410 as of April 12 and 27,676 hospitalizations. The city's death toll is 6,898.
More than 189,000 cases have been reported in New York state, the hardest-hit state in the US.
