STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – For the second straight day, the borough marked its lowest increase in new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases during the prior 24-hour period as recorded since late March, city Health Department data shows.
At the same time, seven more Islanders were reported to have succumbed to the disease.
The fatality total was the second consecutive day in which less than 10 deaths were reported.
As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, there were 12,749 confirmed coronavirus cases on Staten Island, according to the most recent data available.
That number represented a boost of 16 from Monday’s evening’s total of 12,733 cases.
The increase was the smallest over 24 hours dating to March 22, according to Advance/SILive.com tabulations of Health Department data.
There had been 19 new cases recorded between Sunday and Monday.
However, it is too soon to say whether the new figures represent a trend.
Also, as of Tuesday evening, Staten Island’s fatality total was 891, up from 884 on Monday.
The deaths include 727 Islanders with confirmed coronavirus cases, a rise of six. The “probable” category bumped up one to 164.
A death is classified as “probable” if the decedent was a city resident who had no known positive laboratory test for the coronavirus, but the death certificate lists “COVID-19” or an equivalent as a cause of death.
A Health Department source said the figures reflect totals as of when they are reported to the agency and not when the deaths occur.
For example, if someone dies on Monday and it isn’t reported to the Health Department until Wednesday afternoon, the fatality will be reflected in Wednesday evening’s total and not in Monday’s tally.
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Across the five boroughs, there were 185,206 confirmed coronavirus cases as Tuesday evening, up 887 from Monday’s figure of 184,319.
Males comprise 51% of the cases; females, 49%.
Citywide, the death toll rose by 79 over the prior 24 hours, reaching 20,316 at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The fatalities consist of 15,233 individuals who were confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 5,083 others whose deaths were deemed as “probable” COVID-19 cases.
A large majority of the deaths in confirmed coronavirus cases which were investigated by the city thus far have occurred in patients with underlying medical issues, said the Health Department.
Underlying conditions include diabetes, lung disease, cancer, immunodeficiency, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, kidney disease and gastro-intestinal/liver disease, said the Health Department.
On the positive side, the number of patients treated for the coronavirus and released from Staten Island’s hospitals keeps growing.
As of Wednesday morning, a total of 2,155 patients had been discharged since the pandemic’s outbreak, according to information from the borough’s two hospital systems.
That number represented an increase of 22 from Tuesday morning’s tally of 2,133.
Staten Island University Hospital’s (SIUH) two campuses have discharged 1,736 patients, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.
Richmond University Medical Center has treated and released 419 patients, Alex Lutz, a spokesman, said.
The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients which had been declining, rose slightly.
On Wednesday morning, 190 patients were being cared for on Staten Island, a bump up of four from the prior morning’s tally of 186.
However, by contrast, 554 Islanders were hospitalized with the virus when those numbers peaked five weeks ago on April 8.
At SIUH, 139 patients were receiving treatment Wednesday morning – 131 in the Ocean Breeze campus and eight in the Prince’s Bay facility, said O’Hara.
The overall figure reflected an increase of eight from Tuesday morning’s total.
Richmond University Medical Center was caring for 51 coronavirus patients as of Wednesday morning, a drop of four from Tuesday’s tally, Lutz said.
With respect to testing, the data shows 2,677 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have received positive results for the coronavirus, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Department’s Tuesday evening data.
Staten Island’s infection rate is second among the five boroughs.
Staten Island accounts for 7% of the city’s total coronavirus cases.
Officials, however, stress the examinations do not necessarily reflect the full spread of the virus.
The Bronx’s infection rate remains the highest in the city.
In that borough, 2,929 residents per 100,000 have tested positive. The Bronx’s 41,953 cases account for 23% of the overall total.
Queens has the third highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 2,509 residents per 100,000 testing positive. That borough, the second-most populous, has 57,178 cases, most in the city and comprising 31% of the overall total.
Brooklyn, the borough with the largest population, has the fourth-lowest rate of infection per 100,000 residents – 1,949.
Brooklyn’s 50,346 cases are the second most among the five boroughs.
Brooklyn accounts for 27% of the city’s reported coronavirus cases, Health Department statistics show.
Manhattan retains the lowest infection rate among the boroughs with 1,405 per 100,000 residents testing positive.
There have been 22,889 positive cases in Manhattan, comprising 12% of the five-borough tally, the data said.