The governor of New York State has indicated that he expects many new cases of the coronavirus in his territory, the authorities focusing on measures to contain the virus, in particular thanks to a massive testing campaign.
New York State recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus on Sunday, a 39-year-old healthcare worker who returned from a stay in Iran, a known focus of the disease, on Tuesday.
The woman is currently confined to her home with her husband, who authorities suspect is also infected. She suffers from respiratory problems, but her condition is not considered serious.
At a press conference on Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he expected more cases. “It won’t be one, two, or five. It will be a lot.”
It also predicts that people without known contact with a person who has stayed abroad in a source of infection will contract the disease, as has already been the case in the states of Washington and California.
“This is why the challenge is to limit the spread,” insisted Andrew Cuomo.
The authorities of New York City and the state have recalled the precautions to be taken in matters of hygiene and called on people who think they are sick to contact health services.
A disinfection campaign will be carried out in transport and schools, although it seems, as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio recalled, that children are not affected by the contagion.
Specific protection measures will be taken for all places of residence of the elderly, who are more vulnerable to the consequences of the disease.
The New York authorities are also planning to launch a detection campaign and the governor has set the goal of reaching, within a week, a capacity of 1,000 tests per day.
The Trump administration has come under fire in recent hours for not testing more systematically.
According to the latest figures from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), released on Saturday, only 472 tests had been carried out across the United States since the virus began to spread.
The federal government on Saturday authorized New York State to conduct its own tests.
“It is important to take a step back,” urged Governor Cuomo, in response to the concerns of the people of New York. “In this situation, the facts defeat the fear, because the reality is reassuring.”
He recalled that the estimated death rate from the coronavirus was 1.4%, against 0.6% for ordinary flu, estimating that the proportion to expect in New York would undoubtedly be lower, taking into account the prevention and control measures. the quality of the health system.
The United States recorded this weekend the first two deaths linked to the coronavirus in the United States, both in the same hospital in the suburbs of Seattle (Washington).
Officially, only 22 cases have been diagnosed in the United States, to which are added 47 people repatriated to the United States.
Criticized by the opposition for his initial response to the crisis, US President Donald Trump said Monday morning on Twitter that he would receive the major players in the pharmaceutical industry at the White House during the day to discuss “vaccine and remedy “.
“Progress is being made!”, He assured.
“I was criticized by Democrats when I closed the country to China many weeks before what almost everyone recommended. It saved many lives,” he continued. “Stay calm and vigilant!”
02/03/2020 17:32:34 – New York (AFP) – © 2020 AFP
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