NYC reports 1st coronavirus death of a person under 18
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A cyclist rode his bicycle down the middle of a main road in downtown New York, March 22. New York City’s Health Department recorded the city’s first death of a person under 18 years old.
NEW YORK >> New York City reported its first coronavirus death of a person under 18 years old as the number of fatalities in the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak continued to rise rapidly.
City officials announced today that 250 more ambulances and 500 paramedics and EMTs are headed to New York to help manage record numbers of calls for assistance.
Here are the latest coronavirus developments in New York:
CITY’S FIRST CORONAVIRUS DEATH OF A CHILD REPORTED
New York City’s Health Department recorded the city’s first death of a person under 18 years old, though details about the person’s exact age were not disclosed. There have been 914 coronavirus deaths in New York City, the department reported Monday.
More than 1,200 have died of COVID-19 across New York state, and 9,500 people are hospitalized with the disease statewide. More than 66,000 people statewide have tested positive for the virus, including more than 38,000 in New York City.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said today that he expects the crisis to stretch through May. “For the weeks ahead, let’s not kid ourselves, it gets a lot worse before it gets better,” de Blasio said on NBC’s “Today.”
The virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has spread rapidly across the globe. It causes mild symptoms in many of those infected, but it can cause severe symptoms or death for some, including older adults and those with underlying medical conditions such as respiratory ailments. Relatively few deaths among children have been reported.
MORE AMBULANCES ON THE WAY
New York City officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a partnership today to bring 250 more ambulances and 500 paramedics and emergency medical technicians from around the nation to the city.
“Our EMTs and paramedics are doing unbelievable work under the toughest of circumstances,” de Blasio said in a statement. “Our partnership with FEMA will give our first responders the help they need to continue being the heroes of our city.”
The city’s Emergency Medical Service has been responding to record numbers of emergencies since the COVID-19 crisis hit this month. Calls for assistance have been up by 50% over normal daily call volume.
IMPROVISING VENTILATORS
In one snapshot of the situation in the region’s hospitals, Northwell Health said Monday it has 2,200 coronavirus patients being treated at its facilities, triple the number from a week ago.
The company said several of its hospitals are at or near capacity, including Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson and Glen Cove Hospital.
FEMA has sent new supplies of masks and ventilators, the company said.
In a novel approach, Northwell said a doctor, respiratory therapist and 3D printing bioengineer have come up with a way to convert 300 anesthesia machines and 300 Bipap machines into ventilators. A 3D-printed adapter will help enable the machines, often used to treat sleep apnea and pneumonia, to act as ventilators.
