STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Over 500 more borough residents tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) as of Wednesday morning, giving Staten Island its highest 24-hour spike in cases thus far, city Health Department data shows.

There were 4,661 cases on the Island as of 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, a leap of 507 from Tuesday morning’s total of 4,154.

Tuesday’s tally was an increase of 374 cases from Monday morning.

The spikes come in what officials believe will be a peak week for reported coronavirus cases and deaths.

Despite the rise in cases, hospitalizations here did not jump as sharply.

As of Wednesday morning, the number of patients receiving coronavirus treatment on the Island stood at 554, an increase of 20 from Tuesday morning’s tally of 534 according to information from the borough’s two hospital systems.

Specifically, 344 patients were receiving treatment in Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) – 277 in the Ocean Breeze campus and 67 in the Prince’s Bay facility, said Jillian O’Hara, a spokeswoman.

That figure represented increase of 15 patients from Tuesday’s total of 329.

Richmond University Medical Center had 210 coronavirus patients, a bump up of five from Tuesday morning’s tally of 205, Alex Lutz, a spokesman said. Of those patients, 50 are in the Intensive Care Unit, an increase of 13 from Tuesday morning’s total.

Confirmed fatalities in borough hospitals reached 179 by Wednesday morning, city Health Department data said.

The Advance/SILive.com, which had previously used data from the borough’s two hospital systems, will now use the city’s death tallies.

Coronavirus patient transfers in and out of Staten Island University Hospital’s (SIUH) campuses stemming, in part, to the opening of field hospitals throughout the city has made it difficult for the hospital to provide 24-hour fatality totals.

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Across the five boroughs, total coronavirus deaths jumped to 3,602 by Wednesday morning, said city Health Department data.

That number represented an increase of 400 from Tuesday morning’s total of 3,202.

The fatality total does not include individuals who have died at home but were not tested for the coronavirus.

The Health Department has thus far investigated 2,724 deaths, with 878 pending.

The vast majority of probed fatalities – 2,655, or 97.4% – occurred in patients with underlying medical issues, said the agency.

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 positive side, the number of patients treated for the coronavirus and released from borough hospitals reached 673, as of Wednesday morning.

There were 46 additional discharges at SIUH, raising the total there to 565, Christian Preston, a spokesman said.

At Richmond University Medical Center, 108 patients had been treated and released as of Wednesday morning, said Lutz.

Citywide, the number of coronavirus cases throughout the five boroughs climbed.

There were 77,967 cases as of 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, an increase of 5,643 from the same time Tuesday.

Men account for 54% of the overall cases, while women comprise 46% of the cases, said the data.

The infection rate per capita continues to ascend throughout the five boroughs.

Testing, which officials stress does not necessarily reflect the full spread of the virus, now shows 979 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have tested positive, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Department’s Wednesday morning data.

Staten Island accounts for 6% of the city’s total coronavirus cases.

Queens continues to have the highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 1,128 residents per 100,000 testing positive. That borough has 25,715 cases, comprising 33% of the city’s total.

The Bronx’s infection rate of 1,103 residents per 100,000 remains the second highest in the city. Its 15,803 cases account for 20% of the city’s total.

Manhattan retains the lowest infection rate among the boroughs with 653 per 100,000 residents testing positive.

There have been 10,642 positive cases in Manhattan, which accounts for 14% of the five-borough tally, according to the city’s Health Department.

Brooklyn, the most populated borough, has the fourth-lowest rate of infection per 100,000 residents - 817.

Brooklyn’s 21,109 cases are the second highest among the five boroughs.

Brooklyn accounts for 27% of the city’s reported coronavirus cases, Health Department statistics show.

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