New York reports record coronavirus deaths for 3rd day in row, but curve 'flattening': Governor

New York recorded the highest single day death toll for the third consecutive day as 799 people died due to COVID19, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, but added there is "good news" that the state is "flattening the curve" and seeing a drop in hospitalisations, ICU admissions and intubations.

The state recorded 799 deaths on April 8. A day earlier it registered 779 casualties.

"We lost more lives yesterday, and we have to date. You're talking about 799 lives, the highest number ever," Cuomo said adding that the increasing death rates has led to the state bringing in additional funeral directors to deal with the number of people who have passed.

"If you ever told me that as governor I would have to take these actions, I couldn't even contemplate where we are now," Cuomo said on Thursday.

The Governor said the 9/11 terror attacks killed 2,753 people and the day was supposed "to be the darkest day" in New York for a generation. But the coronavirus crisis has claimed 7,067 lives in New York so far.

"That is so shocking and painful and breathtaking. I don't even have the words for it. 9/11 was so devastating so tragic and then in many ways we lose so many more New Yorkers to this silent killer. There was no explosion. But it was a silent explosion that just ripples through society with the same randomness, the same evil, that we saw on 9/11," he said.

However, in some "good news", Cuomo said the state is "flattening the curve" but that does not mean New Yorkers "can relax" and loosen the social distancing measures.

"The flattening of the curve last night happened because of what we did yesterday and the day before, and the day before that. This is all a direct consequence to our actions. If we stop acting the way we're acting, you will see those numbers go on," he said.

In "additional good news", Cuomo said the hospitalisation rate does suggest that it is coming down and "we are flattening the curve".

The net increase in hospitalizations was the lowest number New York has seen "since this nightmare started".

The change in ICU admissions is also lowest number since March 19 and the number of intubations is also down.

"So all of this data suggests that we are flattening the curve so far, and the numbers are coming down so far," he said.

On Tuesday, the state had hit a new one-day peak, with 731 people dead in the largest single-day increase in deaths since the coronavirus crisis engulfed New York, the epicentre of the pandemic. Within a 24 hour period, 779 more people died due to COVID-19.