Cuomo: Latest Coronavirus Cases Are Mostly People Who Stayed Home

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Wednesday that most new patients hospitalized with the Chinse coronavirus have largely been sheltering at home, calling the preliminary data “shocking.”

Cuomo said during his daily press briefing that the early findings surveyed 100 New York hospitals involving approximately 1,000 patients. Sixty-six percent of new hospital admissions were patients who virtually remained in their home, while nursing homes ranked second for new admissions at 18 percent.

On Tuesday, 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at New York nursing homes were reported, bringing the total number of coronavirus deaths in such facilities across the state since March 1 to 4,800. Cuomo has garnered intense criticism over his March 25 directive ordering nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients.

“If you notice, 18% of the people came from nursing homes, less than 1% came from jail or prison, 2% came from the homeless population, 2% from other congregate facilities, but 66% of the people were at home, which is shocking to us,” the governor told reporters.

“This is a surprise. Overwhelmingly, the people were at home,” he added. “We thought maybe they were taking public transportation, and we’ve taken special precautions on public transportation, but actually no, because these people were literally at home.”

Cuomo also said New York’s hospitalization rate continues to drop, but called the progress “painfully slow.” Still, roughly 600 infected people are going to hospitals daily.