How fast is coronavirus growing in New York? Chart shows dramatic rise in cases

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The number of people in New York who have tested positive for the coronavirus has risen sharply over the last four days, raising fears that hospitals in the state could soon be overwhelmed if the trend continues.

The chart below shows how the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state has more than tripled, going from 212 on Wednesday, March 11, to 950 today (March 16). Most of the cases are in New York City and nearby New Rochelle. Part of that increase is simply because the state is testing more people, but it’s impossible to tease that out from the real spread of the disease.

“The more you test, the more positives you will find,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday. He said 5,272 people have been tested.

Currently, 137 of the 729 people sickened with the virus in New York are being hospitalized, a rate of 19%. New York continues to lead the nation in coronavirus cases.

Three people in New York have died from the virus, including a 79-year-old woman who died in a New York City hospital on Sunday.

Cuomo coronavirus update: 3rd person dies in New York; urges work from home

If the number of cases continues rising at the same pace, hospitals could soon run out of beds and, more importantly, ventilators, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.

He said New York State has just 53,470 hospital beds, only 3,186 of which are in intensive-care units with ventilators, mechanical devices that move air into and out of the lungs of patients unable to breath on their own. He said 80% of the ICU beds in the state are occupied, leaving a little more than 600 available for new patients.

“We have never fought a virus like this, with this potential consequence," he said.

Earlier Sunday, Cuomo called for the Army Corps of Engineers to equip facilities such as military bases or college dormitories to serve as temporary medical centers so that hospital beds can be reserved by the acutely ill.

Cuomo calls for Army to join fight against coronarvirus

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, a global pandemic. Most people who get the disease survive it without serious complications. However, for older adults and people with chronic serious illnesses, the death rates from the disease are much higher than they are with the flu.

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Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148

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