NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at his office in Midtown Friday—and although he anticipates that will change, he and other officials said New Yorkers shouldn’t worry and that the flu is still of much bigger concern.
“We would expect as time goes on that we will find a case of coronavirus. If you look at the spread of it around the world,” Cuomo said.
But the governor said the state is prepared. State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said the virus is now in the department’s list of communicable diseases, meaning the department will be notified of any suspected cases of it.
The Port Authority said of the more than 6,000 people screened for the virus at JFK Airport, five have been issued for quarantine.
“The bottom line is we are very well prepared for this response,” Zucker said Friday. “New York State and local public health officials and all the health care facilities are very experienced with infectious control practices.”
The coronavirus has claimed more than 700 lives in China, including an American who died Friday. The number of cases in China is approaching 40,000.
Zucker and Cuomo said concerns over the flu are more important, as 1,800 in New York were hospitalized for it in the past week alone. They said the flu is still prevalent in the state and still hasn’t peaked.
“Let’s have some connection to the reality of the situation. Catching the flu right now is a much greater risk than anything that has to do with the coronavirus,” Cuomo said.
Four of five possible coronavirus cases in New York City have come back negative, officials said Friday. The fifth case is still being tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The risk to the public in New York State is currently very low,” Zucker said of the virus. He said more concerning is anti-Asian racism and xenophobia that are spreading amid the outbreak.
Meanwhile, a New York State assemblyman wants to make sure there is full transparency and no misinformation when it comes to the coronavirus via an advisory council that reaches out to the community.
Assemblyman Ron Kim said there’s a strong medical community in Flushing, Queens, and that he wants people to know that.
“So we have a wealth of knowledge and people who are eager to step up and not only help the community, but also advise on policies and feature preventative measures,” Kim said.
He’s helped to create the Asian-American Health Advisory Council, which will meet monthly to come up with ways to keep people informed.
Kim said part of the problem is that the Chinese government ignored the first warning signs of coronavirus.
“We don’t want to replicate that kind of scenario. We want to lead with an example of collaborating and listening to the people on the ground, and that’s the overall objective of this advisory council,” Kim said.
The other goal, Kim said, is to stop the misinformation and racist undertones that the virus has brought to the Asian community.
Kim is also pushing for money from the state’s natural disaster emergency fund.
“Some of these pharmacies are actually tripling, quadrupling the price of those masks, taking advantage of the situation toward the consumers,” Kim said.
He said money from the fund might be able to get people those services for free.