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De Blasio Says Distancing Is Easing Demand for Ventilators

De Blasio Says Distancing Is Easing Demand for Ventilators

(Bloomberg) -- New York City’s social-distancing strategy appears to be working, and one result is less demand for ventilators than had been projected, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The city had estimated that it would need as many as 300 more of the life-saving machines this week to treat coronavirus patients but has needed to add only 100, de Blasio said Wednesday at his daily virus briefing. It has 5,500 in all.

Statewide, the infection rate has begun flattening, even as the death count rises. On Tuesday, New York State reported its deadliest day so far, with new 731 fatalities.

De Blasio said that preliminary statistics show that blacks and Hispanics have been infected by the coronavirus at rates that are disproportionate to their population sizes.

The mayor emphasized that New Yorkers must keep up their social distancing and not become complacent.

“We have to be careful not to take this initial information and make more of it than we should,” he said.

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