New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters on Sunday that New York could be “very near the apex” of the coronavirus pandemic, noting that deaths and new hospitalizations over the past 24 hours were down slightly from the day before. New deaths were up by 594, after a record high of 630 on Saturday. “I hope we’re somewhere near the apex or the plateau,” he said, also stating that the state’s healthcare system was still “over-capacity all across the board.” “We’re running short on supplies,” he said. “The number of beds doesn't really matter any more, it’s the ventilators and staff.” While Cuomo said statisticians “don't know” if the state was approaching an apex or plateau in the number of COVID-19 infections, the governor talked about seeing light at the end of the tunnel, noting that 74 percent of those who were hospitalized have been discharged. “I think... you see the return for normalcy when we have an approved rapid testing program that can be brought to scale,” he said. “People can go back to work because they know they’re negative... I think that is under development, but that is going to be the end and we’re going to get through it because we’re New York tough.”
Cuomo also said the state planned on shifting “state resources” to other parts of the county and “whatever is next on the curve” once New York cleared the virus apex. “We're going to codify everything we've learned. We will be there with equipment and personnel,” he said.