New York governor says coronavirus is still spreading in low-income, minority communities
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
People stand in line for COVID-19 testing at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Morrisania on April 20 in the Bronx borough of New York City. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state has conducted research in New York City, and data shows high positive coronavirus rates and continued high community spread in certain communities.
Communities hardest-hit are located in ZIP codes that are lower-income and have high Hispanic and African American populations.
In the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, for example, Cuomo said that 43% of residents tested were positive for coronavirus, whereas the general New York City number is close to 20%. In Brooklyn’s Brownsville section, which has about an 80% black population, 41% tested positive. The neighborhood also has about double the rate of average hospitalizations.
“That's where the cases are still coming from. That's where the virus is still spreading,” Cuomo said.
The governor thanked politicians and community leaders for spearheading an effort to mobilize churches as coronavirus test sites. He said that testing will be expanded to more churches and public housing developments in the city.
“We want to now take the next step, which is outreach programs, getting the PPE into the community, getting the hand sanitizer into the community, explaining social distancing and why that's so important, and explain how this virus spreads. It's a public health education effort,” Cuomo said.
12:19 p.m. ET, May 20, 2020
New York will allow religious gatherings of up to 10 people starting tomorrow
From CNN's Melanie Schuman
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a coronavirus briefing in Albany, New York, on May 20. State of New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said starting Thursday, religious communities statewide will be allowed to hold small ceremonies.
"They can have up to 10 people, with strict social distancing guidelines at religious gatherings," Cuomo said at a news conference.
He said he's encouraging religious communities to consider holding drive-in services in parking lots, and he added that he understands people's desire to get back to their places of worship.
"As a former alter boy, I get it," he said. "I think those religious ceremonies can be very comforting."
Cuomo said he is convening the Interfaith Advisory Council to discuss a proposal to safely bring back religious services across all faiths.
11:46 a.m. ET, May 20, 2020
Daily coronavirus deaths increase slightly in New York, governor says
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that Covid-19 deaths in the state were "up a little bit" yesterday.
Daily deaths increased from 105 to 112 yesterday, the governor said.
Other key indicators -- hospitalizations, new cases, ICU admin -- were all down and "heading in the right direction," the governor said.
He noted "it was a long road down" in terms of these figures.
Watch here:
11:29 a.m. ET, May 20, 2020
Texas to start separating antibody test numbers from active infection test numbers
From CNN’s Ed Lavandera, Ashley Killough and Ethan Cohen
Julie Janke, a medical technologist at Principle Health Systems and SynerGene Laboratory, holds blood samples to be tested for COVID-19 antibodies on April 28 in Houston. David J. Phillip/AP
A spokesperson confirmed Monday that the Texas health department had been combining antibody test numbers with active infection test numbers when reporting overall data to the public, an indication that the positivity rate number could be skewed, though it's not clear by how much.
Chris Van Duysen, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said in an email Monday that the state "will be separating the numbers out this week" and is "working to integrate that into our online reporting."
His comment came after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was asked at a press conference Monday if the state is combining the two numbers in its public data, following a report by the Texas Observer that the state health department confirmed it was combining them.
Abbott said Monday that the state is not presently combining the numbers but did not acknowledge that it had been in the past.
"The answer is no. They are not commingling those numbers," Abbott said. "Those numbers will be provided separately."
Texas State Rep. Chris Turner, who leads the House Democratic Caucus, found Abbott's statement puzzling and reached out to the health department after the press conference.
"They confirmed to my staff that in fact the testing total does include the antibody test. They said they would be breaking those out later in the week," Turner said. "But for now the total number of tests reported includes both types of test."
Turner argued that combining the numbers "really muddies the data" and "indicates that our testing total is inflated."
The Department of State Health Services did not provide CNN more specifics Tuesday on what percentage of the total tests being reported are antibody tests.
The numbers: As of Wednesday morning, the department's website said the state had a total of 744,937 tests. At least 23,601 of those are from public labs, while 721,336 are from private labs.
The state is reporting a total of 49,912 positive cases. The state's coronavirus dashboard did not yet reflect a distinction in antibody tests versus active virus tests.
Abbott has been touting the low positivity rate in the state. It's unclear how many of those positive cases are from antibody tests or active infection tests.
More on the tests: Viral infection tests are usually conducted through nasal swabs and look for the virus’ genetic material, which may be evidence of an active infection.
Antibody tests use blood samples to look for evidence of past infection. Critics argue that combining the two tests in overall testing data makes it harder to present an accurate picture of the timeline of spread in a given area and could overstate a state’s ability to track active infections.
11:40 a.m. ET, May 20, 2020
Food workers' union says 68 grocery store workers have died from Covid-19
From CNN’s Dianne Gallagher and Pamela Kirkland
A worker disinfects a shopping cart outside a supermarket in Duluth, Georgia, on March 26. Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said Wednesday that at least 68 grocery store workers at companies it represents have died as a result of the Covid-19 virus.
The UFCW also said 10,000 grocery store employees have been sickened or exposed to Covid-19. The union said that is a 200% increase over the past 5 weeks, according to internal estimates.
The union also noted that they have not received internal estimates on the number of their workers that have died or become sick from the grocers their union workers are employed by.
“The challenges that [these grocery workers] have has not diminished,” said UFCW President Marc Perrone. “Any given day, these workers must interact with thousands of customers coming in and out of these supermarkets.”
As of last Friday, at least 65 grocery workers have died and 9,810 workers have tested positive for or been exposed to Covid-19, according to the UFCW, citing internal data.
The union has also been vocally opposed to grocery stores that have phased out their “hero pay” programs.
CNN has previously reported that Kroger, the country’s largest supermarket chain, is ended its "hero pay" bonuses over the weekend.
The "Hero bonus" is a "a $2 premium" above an employee's standard base rate of pay implemented on March 31, according to the company.
Kroger also announced last week the company would pay a one-time "Thank You Pay" that will be $400 for full-time associates and $200 for part-time associates.
Final appreciation pay will be given to Kroger employees by May 23.
10:51 a.m. ET, May 20, 2020
New York City mayor: Latest coronavirus numbers show "a good day," but we want great days
From CNN's Melanie Schuman
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a coronavirus briefing in New York City on May 20. NYC Media
Two out of the three indicators the city measures have dropped as of Monday, said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who added, “It’s a good day, we want to have great days though.”
Here's where things stand:
The daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected Covid-19 went up to 63 from 57.
The daily number of people in ICU within the city’s public hospitals is down to 483 from 492.
The percentage of people tested positive in the city is down to 8% from 9%.
The city is doing more testing, according to the mayor, noting they're still doing 20,000 tests a day and growing rapidly.
“The percentages are coming back better,” de Blasio said.
The data is current as of Monday.
10:21 a.m. ET, May 20, 2020
NYC child vaccine rates has plunged during Covid-19 crisis, mayor says
From CNN's Melanie Schuman
Vaccination rates in New York City have been falling during this crisis, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.
“Getting your child vaccinated is essential work, getting your child vaccinated is a reason to leave your home,” de Blasio said.
CNN has previously reported a nationwide drop in vaccinations.
Here's what the drop in New York City looks like:
The number of administered doses of vaccines are down 63% overall.
For children younger than 2, it's down 42%
For children older than 2, it's down 91%
The mayor noted vaccines are critical to protect children and communities.
“Let’s protect our kids and protect each other by making sure all our children are vaccinated” de Blasio said.
10:58 a.m. ET, May 20, 2020
New York City has enough PPE for the rest of the month, mayor says
From CNN's Melanie Schuman
A registered nurse draws blood to test for COVID-19 antibodies at Abyssinian Baptist Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on May 14. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
New York City now has enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for the rest of the month of May, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news conference Wednesday.
Once the city has enough PPE to reserve a 14-day supply, the city will shift to building a 90-day supply which will include a reserve of 4,000 ventilators.
10:14 a.m. ET, May 20, 2020
New York City unveils plan to address seniors and nursing homes during the pandemic
From CNN's Melanie Schuman
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a coronavirus briefing in New York City on May 20. NYC Media
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a four-part plan Wednesday to address the needs of seniors, especially those in nursing homes. There are 169 nursing homes in the city, many of which are for-profit enterprises.
Here are the four parts that the mayor laid out...
Part one:
New York City will offer free, on-site testing to all nursing homes starting next week. ”As many test kits as the nursing home needs, we will provide,” the mayor said.
The mayor says the anticipated need is to run 3,000 tests a day through a city contracted lab. There will be a two-week “blitz” followed by regular weekly testing.
Part two:
The city will provide more staff and mandatory staff testing which has already begun. The mayor said the staff is among the “unsung heroes” fighting the virus.
Staff who test positive are required to stay out of work for 14 days which will cause shortages, said de Blasio. The city has already provided 250 additional personnel, but the city is asking all facilities to submit requests.
“We will continue to fulfill the request for every nursing home,” de Blasio said. He also pledged all staffing requests will be filled.
Part three:
Outbreak response teams consisting of a minimum of three people will be deployed to nursing homes and congregate living facilities like other senior centers.
The mayor said 10 teams are ready and all will have an epidemiologist, mental health or social work experts – whichever is needed.
The teams will address infection control, PPE management, resident and staff re-testing
Part four:
The city is planning long-term to maximize home-based care for the future.
This is “part of our recovering planning,” de Blasio said.
