State Working to Shift Load from Downstate to Upstate Hospitals

Governor Andrew Cuomo Thursday said 385 coronavirus deaths have now been recorded in the state. That was an increase of 100 over a 24-hour period.

Cuomo said the state is "working on equalizing and distributing the load of patients" in New York. He said the highest number of cases now is downstate "so we're working on a collaboration where we distribute the load between downstate hospitals and upstate hospitals." He said efforts are underway to increase the capacity for upstate hospitals.

The governor said places like dorms and hotels also likely will be used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Cuomo said New York state has tested more people for coronavirus than any other state in the nation.

The governor said 5,327 COVID-19 patients now are hospitalized in the state. He said 1,290 of them were being treated in intensive care units.

This story was updated to include comments Governor Cuomo made during a briefing he conducted on Thursday.

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