STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The number of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases recorded on Staten Island since the pandemic’s outbreak has now topped 13,000, city Health Department data shows.
Meanwhile, five more deaths have been attributed to the disease during the past 24 hours, according to the most recent data available.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 13,017 confirmed coronavirus cases on Staten Island, a jump of 29 over the same time Tuesday.
There had been 12,988 cases reported then.
By Wednesday afternoon, the borough’s fatality total had reached 942. That tally had been 937 in the Health Department’s Tuesday afternoon data.
The deaths include 774 Islanders with confirmed coronavirus cases, an increase of four from Tuesday’s posted data. The “probable” category went up one to 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.
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Citywide, there were 192,374 confirmed coronavirus cases reported by Wednesday afternoon, a spike of 724 from Tuesday’s tally of 191,650.
Across the five boroughs, the death toll rose by 47 over the prior 24 hours, reaching 20,934 by Wednesday afternoon.
The fatalities consist of 16,153 individuals who were confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 4,781 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 plus side, a total of 2,894 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 1,852 patients as of Wednesday, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.
Richmond University Medical Center has treated and released 1,042 patients, Alex Lutz, a spokesman, said.
At the same time, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the borough dropped by eight.
On Wednesday morning, 145 patients were being cared for on Staten Island; the prior morning’s tally was 153.
By comparison, those daily figures had peaked just over five weeks ago with 554 Islanders being hospitalized on April 8.
At SIUH, 107 patients were being treated Wednesday morning – all at the Ocean Breeze campus. No coronavirus patients were in the Prince’s Bay facility, said O’Hara. Five patients were being treated there 24 hours earlier.
SIUH’s overall hospitalization number reflected a decline of six from Tuesday morning’s total.
Richmond University Medical Center was caring for 38 coronavirus patients as of Wednesday morning, a dip of two from Tuesday’s tally, Lutz said.
With respect to testing, the data shows 2,734 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 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, 3,048 residents per 100,000 have tested positive. The Bronx has 43,652 cases.
Queens has the third highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 2,597 residents per 100,000 testing positive. There are 59,174 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 – 2,035.
Brooklyn’s 52,551 cases are the second most among the five boroughs.
Manhattan has the lowest infection rate among the boroughs with 1,466 per 100,000 residents testing positive.
There have been 23,881 positive cases in Manhattan, the data said.