Cuomo Directing National Guard to Move Ventilators Downstate
As the coronavirus death toll in New York state increased to 2,935 people, Governor Andrew Cuomo said ventilators will be moved to hospitals where they're needed.
During an Albany briefing Friday, Cuomo reported that 562 people had died due to the coronavirus over a 24-hour period. He said it was the "highest single increase in the number of deaths since we started."
Cuomo said the state now had more than 102,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The governor said he is authorizing the National Guard to seize ventilators and other protective equipment from upstate facilities that don't need them now and move them to hospitals where they can be utilized immediately.
Cuomo said there is a need to shift resources to where they are needed to save lives in New York.
The governor didn't identify which hospitals and other institutions will be expected to provide unused ventilators to help downstate patients.
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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com
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