STATEN ISLAND. N.Y. – Confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continued to soar on Saturday with nearly 300 more Staten Islanders testing positive for the disease, said the city Health Department.
There were 1,718 reported coronavirus cases in the borough as of 10 a.m., Health Department data showed.
That figure represented an increase of 278 cases compared to Friday morning’s total of 1,440.
It was the highest 24-hour spike on Staten Island since last Sunday into Monday, when 380 new cases were reported, according to Advance/SILive.com calculations.
Thus far, the pandemic has claimed the lives of 39 borough residents, an increase of two since Friday.
There have been 31 deaths in Staten Island University Hospital’s (SIUH) system, which reflected no increase from Friday, according to data provided by the hospital.
Eight people have died in Richmond University Medical Center, Alex Lutz, a hospital spokesman said. There had been six deaths in the hospital as of Friday.
Every one of the 28 Staten Island deaths thus far investigated by the Health Department occurred in patients with underlying illnesses, said agency.
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Citywide, 517 deaths due to the disease were reported as of Saturday morning, said the Health Department.
Coronavirus-related hospitalizations on Staten Island also rose.
As of Saturday morning, 255 confirmed coronavirus patients were being treated in the borough’s two hospital systems.
That number reflected an increase of 55 from Friday’s total of 200.
There are 192 hospitalized patients in SIUH – 142 at the Ocean Breeze campus, with an additional 50 in the Prince’s Bay facility, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.
Richmond University is caring for 63 patents, including 14 in the Intensive Care Unit, Lutz.
Coronavirus cases have spiked throughout the five boroughs.
Total cases reached 29,158 as of Saturday morning, an increase of 3,585 from the 25,573 cases reported at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
For the third straight day, Staten Island reported the third-highest infection rate per capita in the five boroughs. Earlier in the week, Staten Island had the highest rate.
Based on tests, which officials stress does not necessarily reflect the full spread of the virus, 361 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have tested positive, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Department’s Saturday morning data.
That figure equates to a jump of 59 residents per-100,000 since Friday’s total of 302.
Staten Island accounts for 6% of the city’s total coronavirus cases.
The highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city remains in Queens, with 405 residents per 100,000 testing positive. That borough has 9,228 cases, continuing to account for 32% of the city’s total.
The Bronx again displays the second-highest infection rate in the city - 374 residents per 100,000 - despite being the borough with the second-lowest population.
There are 5,352 cases in the Bronx, which represents 18% of those in the city, Health Department data shows.
Manhattan has the fourth-highest rate of coronavirus cases with 309 per 100,000 residents testing positive.
There have been 5,036 positive cases in Manhattan, which accounts for 17% of the city’s total cases, according to the city’s Health Department.
Brooklyn has the lowest rate of infection per 100,000 residents - 302 - despite being the most populous borough.
However, Staten Island’s neighbor on the opposite side of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge has the second highest case total at 7,789.
Brooklyn accounts for 27% of the city’s reported coronavirus cases, Health Department statistics show.
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