Shutterstock
New York City is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and the amount of cases continues to surge. While Governor Andrew Cuomo shared some optimism by saying that the number of new cases appears to be nearing its plateau, the death toll continues to rise.
On Tuesday, April 7, Cuomo revealed that New York had its highest single-day death toll recorded over the past 24 hours.
According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the death toll jumped by 727 fatalities which brings the number of coronavirus deaths to 3,202. There are now 72,324 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the five boroughs.
The 3,202 coronavirus deaths in New York City tops the number of deaths from the deadly September 11 terrorist attacks (2,977) where hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 9,600 deaths in the United States which surpasses and nearly triples the death toll of the September 11 terrorist in New York City — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
