STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The coronavirus (COVID-19) has claimed the lives of four more borough residents, while 26 new cases were recorded here during the past 24 hours, city Health Department data shows.
As of Thursday afternoon, 946 Staten Islanders are believed to have succumbed to the disease, according the most recent figures published.
The fatalities include 778 Islanders with confirmed coronavirus cases, an increase of four from Wednesday’s posted data. The “probable” category went remained at 168.
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.
By Thursday afternoon, there had been 13,043 confirmed coronavirus cases on Staten Island since the pandemic’s outbreak.
The total 24 hours earlier was 13,017.
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Across the city, there were 192,840 confirmed coronavirus cases recorded by Thursday afternoon, a spike of 466 from Wednesday’s tally of 192,374.
Citywide, the death toll has surpassed 21,000.
Total fatalities rose by 69 over the prior 24 hours, reaching 21,003 by Thursday afternoon.
The fatalities consist of 16,232 individuals who were confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 4,771 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, the number of coronavirus patients treated at and released from the borough’s two hospitals since the pandemic’s outbreak has topped 2,900.
As of Thursday morning, a total of 2,919 coronavirus patients have been discharged.
Staten Island University Hospital’s (SIUH) two campuses have treated and released 1,865 patients, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.
Richmond University Medical Center has discharged 1,054 patients, Alex Lutz, a spokesman, said.
At the same time, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the borough dropped by seven.
On Thursday morning, 138 patients were being cared for on Staten Island; the prior morning’s tally was 145.
By comparison, those daily figures had peaked just over five weeks ago with 554 Islanders being hospitalized on April 8.
At SIUH, 102 patients were being treated Thursday morning – all at the Ocean Breeze campus. For the second straight day, no coronavirus patients were in the Prince’s Bay facility, said O’Hara.
SIUH’s overall hospitalization number reflected a decline of five from Wednesday morning’s total.
Richmond University Medical Center was caring for 36 coronavirus patients as of Thursday morning, a dip of two from Wednesday’s tally, Lutz said.
With respect to testing, the data shows 2,739 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 data.
Staten Island’s infection rate is second among the five boroughs.
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, 3,052 residents per 100,000 have tested positive. The Bronx has 43,713 cases.
Queens has the third highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 2,603 residents per 100,000 testing positive. There are 59,330 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 – 2,041.
Brooklyn’s 52,712 cases are the second most among the five boroughs.
Manhattan has the lowest infection rate among the boroughs with 1,470 per 100,000 residents testing positive.
There have been 23,943 positive cases in Manhattan, the data said.