“We Don’t Have A Crystal Ball”: Cuomo Warns Lockdowns Could Last For 9 Months Or Longer, 80% Will Be Infected: Live Updates
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Sun, 03/22/2020
Update (1150ET): Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily press briefings have become high-priority events as the coronavirus outbreak spreads across the US. After winning early approval from the FDA to ramp up testing in state labs, Cuomo’s star has risen alongside the state’s tally of positive tests.
He and Trump appeared to have declared a truce, with the two men acknowledging their intention to cooperate, and as the White House shifts its focus to passing the critical second installment of its economic rescue package, which is expected to include rescue packages for small businesses and helicopter money for individuals.
Cuomo started the press conference by chiding New Yorkers, primarily those in the city, who took advantage of nice weather over the past few days to crowd into the city’s parks, inadvertently helping to spread the virus.
At one point, Cuomo declared that the city had confirmed 374 deaths, taking the assembled reporters by surprise. The statement was soon corrected, as a graphic on the screen displayed the updated national death toll, meaning that 14 more Americans had succumbed to the virus over the last few hours.
Across the state, Cuomo reported 4,812 new cases, bringing the total to 15,168, with 9,045 of those in NYC.
These new numbers have brought the US total to just shy of 30k.
As Trump continues to battle with the FDA, Cuomo said New York will start implementing the trial drugs to treat Coronavirus and that they have acquired 70,000 Hydroxychloroquine, 10,000 Zithromax, and 750,000 Chloroquine from the Federal Government.
The governor then launched into a breakdown of the data that researchers have collected so far. Of those who have passed away from COVID-19-related complications, 70% are either 70 or older. Of those who passed that were under the age of 70, 80% had underlying health issues.
Though young people have a higher chance of survival, “young people can get it, young people can get sick, young people can transfer it,” Cuomo said.
But just because an individual catches the virus, and meets the high-risk criteria, doesn’t mean they’re doomed, Cuomo explained.
“But even within that population the capacity of our health care system can save those lives it doesn’t mean that just because you’re 80 and you have an underlying health condition, you must pass away,” he said. Nothing is pre-ordained, and New York State’s health-care system has the capacity to save the lives of people whose lives are seriously imperiled by the infection.
The fear, as Cuomo explained, is that the virus makes it to places like nursing homes, and other places where concentrations of high-vulnerability people.
The importance, as has been said many times before, is that the government tries to smooth the ‘peak’ of the outbreak – which Cuomo’s models projected would arrive in roughly 45 days – as much as possible, given the shortage of beds, ICU beds and critical medical equipment, which Cuomo is scrambling to buy up for New York State, taking Trump’s advice to do what states can to secure equipment to heart.
“Up to 80% of the population will get this virus. We will try to slow the spread but it will spread,” Cuomo said.
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No doubt this manufactured virus is supposed to carry on through the election.