Stay the Course

In his daily COVID-19 briefing this morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported a continued flattening of the curve. The number of deaths in New York in the past 24 hours has dropped below 700 for the first time in a week, but it remains a staggeringly high number: 671. The total number of deaths from the coronavirus in New York is now 10,056.

Addressing the question of when this will be over, Cuomo outlined what he called the "points of resolution over time":

• We are controlling the spread!
• The worst is over.
• We are starting on the path to normalcy.
• Some businesses are opening.
• We have a medical treatment if you become sick.
• We have a proven vaccine to prevent infection.

We've achieved the first two points. It is expected it will take 12 to 18 months to reach the final point. Cuomo's message: "Calibrate your expectations and stay the course." 

When asked by New York Times Albany Bureau chief Jesse McKinley if saying the worst was over didn't encourage people to let down their guard, Cuomo said, "The worst can be over, and it is over, unless we do something reckless. . . . The numbers are down because we brought the numbers down."  

Cuomo announced that there would be another press briefing at 2:00 p.m., the subject of which he did not disclose.
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