STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. –- One more Staten Islander has succumbed to the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours, while nine new cases of the disease were reported here, city Health Department data show.
The single-digit increase in new cases is among the lowest recorded over a 24-hour period in the borough dating to late March, according to Advance/SILive.com tabulations.
It comes just days after Staten Island on Monday had marked its highest daily uptick in new cases – 35 – in more than a week.
Regarding fatalities, the coronavirus is believed to have claimed the lives of 1,026 borough residents, according to the most recent figures published on Wednesday afternoon.
That total was 1,025 on Tuesday and 1,024 on Monday.
The fatalities include 848 Staten Islanders with confirmed coronavirus cases, up one from Tuesday at 1 p.m.
In addition, 178 deaths were in the “probable” category, the same as for each of the past several days.
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 of Wednesday afternoon, there have been 13,748 confirmed coronavirus cases in the borough since the pandemic’s outbreak, the data said.
That total had been 13,739 cases at the same time on Tuesday.
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Citywide, there were 207,821 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday afternoon.
The number represented a jump of 448 from Tuesday’s tally of 207,373.
Across the five boroughs, the death toll had reached 22,171 on Wednesday afternoon, a bump up of 26 from the 22,145 fatalities recorded 24 hours earlier.
The fatalities consist of 17,487 individuals who were confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 4,684 others whose deaths were deemed as “probable” COVID-19 cases.
On a positive note, more than 3,300 coronavirus patients have been treated and released from the borough’s two hospital systems since the pandemic’s outbreak.
That total moved up to 3,311 on Wednesday.
Staten Island University Hospital’s (SIUH) two campuses have discharged 2,134 patients, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.
Richmond University Medical Center has treated and released 1,177 patients, Alex Lutz, a spokesman, said.
However, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the borough rose by three.
On Wednesday morning, 54 patients were being cared for on Staten Island.
By contrast, 10 weeks ago on April 8, 554 Islanders were hospitalized with the coronavirus.
At SIUH, 39 patients were being treated Wednesday morning, up three from Tuesday, said O’Hara. No coronavirus patients are in the Prince’s Bay facility, she said.
Richmond University Medical Center was caring for 15 coronavirus patients on Wednesday morning, the same number as Tuesday, Lutz said.
With respect to testing, the data show 2,887 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have received positive results for the coronavirus, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Department’s Wednesday 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 has topped the city for weeks.
In that borough, 3,270 residents per 100,000 have tested positive. The Bronx has had 46,827 cases.
Queens has the third highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 2,784 residents per 100,000 testing positive. There have been 63,443 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 – 2,231.
Brooklyn’s 57,624 cases are the second most among the five boroughs.
Manhattan has the lowest infection rate in the city with 1,601 per 100,000 residents testing positive.
There have been 26,068 positive cases in Manhattan, the data said.