April 4 (UPI) — China and Oregon have both promised to send ventilators to New York to help the state fight an outbreak of the novel coronavirus as the number of cases and deaths in the state climbed upward, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.
Cuomo and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown both tweeted Saturday morning that Oregon has promised to send 140 ventilators to New York, which has more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
China also has promised New York 1,000 ventilators, Cuomo added. While he praised the donation — which was facilitated by Chinese Ambassador Huang Ping, Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai and Jack Ma, who owns the Chinese technology company Albibaba — he also said a previous order to China for 17,000 ventilators never materialized.
By Saturday morning New York had recorded more than 100,000 cases of the virus and 2,935 deaths.
Of those sickened by the virus in New York, 15,000 are hospitalized and 4,100 are in intensive care, most needing ventilators. Officials believe the state’s outbreak will peak in about seven days.
“By the numbers, we’re not yet at the apex. We’re getting closer,” Cuomo said. “I want to get to the other side of the apex, and let’s just slide down that mountain.”
Brown said Oregon pledged the ventilators because the state “is in a better position right now,” with 899 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.
Meanwhile, two passengers aboard the Coral Princess Ship, which reported 12 cases of novel coronavirus Thursday, were reported dead Saturday morning as the ship docked in Port Miami.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giminez said two passengers were taken from the ship to a local hospital and two others were sent to Tampa for treatment.
