STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – One more Staten Islander is believed to have succumbed to the coronavirus (COVID-19) during the past 24 hours, while there have been 18 new confirmed cases of the disease, city Health Department data shows.
As of 1 p.m. Thursday, the virus is suspected of having claimed the lives of 1,019 borough residents, according to the most recent figures published.
That total had been 1,018 on Wednesday. It was 1,014 on Sunday.
The fatalities include 841 Staten Islanders with confirmed coronavirus cases, the same number as Wednesday afternoon.
In addition, 178 deaths were in the “probable” category, up one from 24 hours earlier.
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.
Also as Thursday afternoon, there have been 13,644 confirmed coronavirus cases in the borough since the pandemic’s outbreak, the data said.
That total had been 13,626 cases at the same time on Wednesday.
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Throughout the five boroughs, there were 205,405 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Thursday afternoon.
The number represented a jump of 394 from Wednesday’s tally of 205,011.
Citywide, the death toll had reached 21,993 on Thursday afternoon, a bump up of 33 from the 21,960 fatalities recorded 24 hours earlier.
The deaths consist of 17,300 individuals who were confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 4,693 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 a positive note, a total of 3,252 coronavirus patients have been treated at and released from the borough’s two hospital systems since the pandemic’s outbreak.
Staten Island University Hospital’s (SIUH) two campuses have discharged 2,087 patients as of Thursday, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.
Richmond University Medical Center has treated and released 1,165 patients, Alex Lutz, a spokesperson, said.
At the same time, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the borough declined by eight.
On Thursday morning, 67 patients were being cared for on Staten Island.
The total is a fraction compared to two months ago when in-patient numbers peaked.
On April 8, 554 Islanders were hospitalized with the coronavirus.
At SIUH, 44 patients were being treated Thursday morning, an increase of two from 24 hours earlier, said O’Hara. No coronavirus patients are in the Prince’s Bay facility, she said.
Richmond University Medical Center was caring for 23 coronavirus patients as of Thursday morning, down 10 from Wednesday, Lutz said.
With respect to testing, the data show 2,865 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have received positive results for the coronavirus, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Department’s Thursday afternoon tally.
Staten Island’s infection rate is second highest among the five boroughs.
Officials, however, stress the examinations do not necessarily reflect the full spread of the virus.
The Bronx’s infection rate still tops the city.
In that borough, 3,237 residents per 100,000 have tested positive. The Bronx has had 46,358 cases.
Queens has the third highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 2,752 residents per 100,000 testing positive. There have been 62,710 cases in that borough, the second-most populous.
Brooklyn, the borough with the largest population, has the fourth-lowest rate of infection per 100,000 residents – 2,202.
Brooklyn’s 56,862 cases are the second most among the five boroughs.
Manhattan has the lowest infection rate in the city with 1,579 per 100,000 residents testing positive.
There have been 25,725 positive cases in Manhattan, the data said.