NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that the state was beginning to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases—but he said the number of daily deaths continues to climb.
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Tuesday had the highest single death toll at 779—up from 731 on Monday and 599 on Sunday. There have been a total of 6,268 deaths across the state.
"The death toll is steadily going up and it reached a new height yesterday," Cuomo said. "The number of deaths will continue to rise as those hospitalized for a longer period of time pass away."
The governor said he's directing flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of coronavirus victims.
Cuomo said the hospitalization rate is continuing to decrease and that there is more capacity in the hospital system than ever before.
"We see the flattening of the curve," Cuomo said. "That's if we continue doing what we are doing. We are flatting the curve because we are rigorous about social distancing, etcetera."
"It's not a time to get complacent," the governor said.
The alarming surge in deaths comes as new hospital admissions have dropped on average over several days, a possible harbinger of the outbreak finally leveling off. Cuomo said the death tally is a "lagging indicator" that reflects the loss of critically ill people hospitalized earlier.
"Behind every one of those numbers is an individual. There's a family, there's a mother, there's a father, there's a sister, there's a brother. So a lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers," Cuomo said.
The state has been recording more than 500 deaths a day since late last week. The number of confirmed cases — which does not include infected people who have not been tested — is over 140,000 cases statewide, including 3,548 new cases reported Wednesday.
Cuomo also said Wednesday that the state is extending its unemployment benefits by 13 weeks and giving filers an additional, immediate payment of $600. That will bring the unemployment period from 26 to 39 weeks.
The governor said New Yorkers would be able to vote absentee for the June 23 primary so they don't have to go to a polling place.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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