STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The borough marked its lowest increases in deaths and new cases related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) during the prior 24-hour period as recorded since late March, city Health Department data shows.
As of 6 p.m. Monday, four more Staten Islanders were reported to have succumbed to the disease since the same time on Sunday, according to the data, the most recent available.
Previously, the smallest 24-hour uptick had been the two deaths recorded between March 27 and March 28, according to Advance/SILive.com tabulations of Health Department data.
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.
Staten Island’s fatality total was 884 as of Monday evening, up from 880 on Sunday.
The deaths include 721 Islanders with confirmed coronavirus cases, a rise of four. The “probable” category’s tally remained at 163.
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.
As of Monday evening, there were 12,733 confirmed coronavirus cases on Staten Island.
That number represented a boost of 19 from Sunday’s evening’s total of 12,714 cases.
The increase was the smallest over 24 hours dating to March 22, according to Advance/SILive tabulations.
However, it is too soon to say whether the new figures represent a trend.
*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***
Citywide, there were 184,319 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Monday evening, up 657 from Sunday’s figure of 183,662.
Males comprise 51% of the cases; females, 49%.
Across the five boroughs, the death toll spiked by 181 over the prior 24 hours, reaching 20,237 at 6 p.m. Monday.
The fatalities consist of 15,101 individuals who were confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 5,136 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.
Meanwhile, the number of patients treated for the coronavirus and released from Staten Island’s hospitals keeps growing.
As of Tuesday morning, a total of 2,133 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 19 from Monday morning’s tally of 2,114.
Staten Island University Hospital’s (SIUH) two campuses have discharged 1,718 patients, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.
Richmond University Medical Center has treated and released 415 patients, Alex Lutz, a spokesman, said.
In addition, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients continues to decline.
On Tuesday morning, 186 patients were being cared for on Staten Island, a dip of five from the prior morning’s tally of 191.
By contrast, 554 Islanders were hospitalized with the virus when those numbers peaked five weeks ago on April 8.
At SIUH, 131 patients were receiving treatment Tuesday morning – 119 in the Ocean Breeze campus and 12 in the Prince’s Bay facility, said O’Hara.
The overall figure reflected a decrease of three from Monday morning’s total.
Richmond University Medical Center was caring for 55 coronavirus patients as of Tuesday morning, a drop of two from Monday’s tally, Lutz said.
With respect to testing, the data shows 2,674 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have received positive results for the coronavirus, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Department’s Monday 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, 2,915 residents per 100,000 have tested positive. The Bronx’s 41,746 cases account for 23% of the overall total.
Queens has the third highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 2,497 residents per 100,000 testing positive. That borough, the second-most populous, has 56,899 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 – 1,939.
Brooklyn’s 50,079 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 1,398 per 100,000 residents testing positive.
There have been 22,771 positive cases in Manhattan, comprising 12% of the five-borough tally, the data said.