New York's Death Toll Eclipses Another Milestone

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered another mix of hopeful and glum news on Monday. On the one hand, he said the state's death toll now exceeds 10,000, reports the New York Times. On the other hand, the number of deaths from Sunday to Monday—671—was the lowest in a week and down 87 from the previous day, another sign that the illness has peaked there. “I think you can say the worst is over," said Cuomo, before adding an important qualifier: "if we continue to be smart going forward," per CNBC. The number of patients hospitalized with the virus is at 18,825, up 118 in a day, but the number of new people being admitted continues to decrease.

"We’re controlling the spread," Cuomo said at his daily briefing. “The worst can be over, and is over, unless we do something reckless." He didn't elaborate with specifics, but he said the numbers could start shooting back up again with as little as "two or three days of reckless behaviors." The comments come as he and other governors, along with the White House, try to figure out how to reopen public life without leading to a resurgence in cases. "You turn that valve too fast you’ll see that number jump right back," he said. "But yes, I think you can say the worst is over because the worst here are people dying." New York's death toll is now at 10,056. (More coronavirus stories.)