STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Based on estimates that between 40% and 80% of New York’s population will at some point become infected with coronavirus (COVID-19), Governor Andrew Cuomo said Saturday the key is to slow the rate at which it spreads.

“The only question is, how fast is the rate… and can you slow that rate so your hospital system can deal with it?” said Cuomo at a press conference in Albany.

The number of people who have tested positive in New York for coronavirus has topped 10,000, as of Saturday. In New York City, a total of 6,211 cases were reported, including 1,803 new cases.

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Officials have stressed that testing is an important part of slowing the increase, as people who know they’re positive can self quarantine. New York so far has issued 45,000 tests, which is almost twice as many as either California or Washington.

Cuomo reiterated the supply chains for groceries and other essential items are intact, urging people against hoarding items.

“There’s going to be food in the grocery stores," said Cuomo. “Theres no reason to buy 100 rolls of toilet paper.”

POSSIBLE TREATMENT

Cuomo said officials are looking at a possible treatment for coronavirus engineered by Regeneron, a New York-based pharmaceuticals company.

The Federal Drug Administration is acquiring 10,000 doses, which could help treat patients in New York who are in serious condition, said Cuomo.

The treatment combines hydroxychloroquine, a popular anti-malaria drug, and antibiotic azithromycin.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES, POP-UP HOSPITALS

In an effort to boost the state’s patient capacity at hospitals from about 50,000 to about 75,000, Cuomo also announced plans for temporary field hospitals across the state.

Multiple “pop-up” medical facilities erected by the Army Corps of Engineers at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan would able to house 1,000 patients.

Meanwhile, staffs at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) and Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) are aiming to maximize their capacity ahead of the potential surge in hospitalizations.

Cuomo said state officials have gotten “creative and aggressive," in their efforts to purchase key medical supplies from across the globe.

One million N95 masks to protect medical workers are expected to arrive Saturday in New York City, with plans to purchase and distribute an additional one million.

Healthcare workers also can expect 6,000 ventilators from across the globe to arrive in the coming weeks, as officials examine technology that potentially could allow two patients to share one ventilator.

Addressing a shortage in hospital gowns statewide, a clothing manufacturer in New York City has offered to mass produce them, though officials still are searching for the material.

FEDERAL FUNDING

Cuomo is calling on members of Congress representing New York districts to address what he called a technicality in a House Bill to provide federal aid to states.

As the bill currently is written, any state that’s recently changed its Medicaid procedures-- which New York has-- is not eligible. If left unchanged, New York would miss out on more than $6 billion.

“We’ve been changing (Medicaid) procedures since January,” Cuomo said. “We can’t do a budget without changes to Medicaid.”

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