Posted on by Brendan Birth

Coronavirus Update From New York City: April 30, 2020

As I started thinking about what to write for today’s coronavirus update piece, it dawned on me that I’ve been providing updates for nearly a month and a half. Indeed, I provided my first update on March 19th, and here I am, providing my seventh weekly update at the end of April!

There have been no changes in terms of my own health and my family’s health. No change is good news, as it means none of us have still received coronavirus symptoms. All of us in the household are definitely looking forward to the day that we can see whether we have already contracted the coronavirus and were possibly asymptomatic. That being said, I would like the antibody testing for the coronavirus to get more accurate first before getting a test myself, because apparently, the current antibody tests (tests that look for antibodies to determine whether someone has already gotten the virus) are quite inaccurate and have the potential to mislead people into thinking they were already infected.[1]

While the death rate has lowered overall (more on that in the next paragraph), one thing that has set in, at least in my family, is the magnitude of the losses we have suffered from the coronavirus. My mom calculated recently that we have sixteen friends, family members of friends, or friends of friends who have died from the coronavirus. I think that number has gone up since my mom did her count a couple of days ago. That’s a lot of loss.

Speaking of the overall death rate, while the numbers are still way too high, they are also trending downwards. The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals and in the intensive care units at hospitals are also down. While I don’t feel that New York City is ready to reopen yet, I do find it encouraging that social distancing seems to be working (though I wish we started it sooner…some experts assert that starting this sooner could’ve saved many thousands of lives in New York). If we get a resurgence of this in the fall, as some experts are predicting, I definitely hope that an early and aggressive effort at social distancing can minimize loss of life.

If you are curious to see up-to-date information on what the coronavirus numbers are like in New York City, I definitely encourage you (in addition to reading my posts on Thursday) to consult this coronavirus tracker provided by a publication called The City. This tracker provides you with information on the number of new tests and cases per day, both city-wide and by borough (I’m in Queens). Their tracker also provides you with information on hospital and ICU admissions, among other things. So, if you’re eager to see what the situation is in New York City but you just can’t wait for my next Thursday update post, feel free to consult the tracker.

Before ending this post, I should note that I will have a new page on my blog called “2020 Coronavirus Diary.” While these posts definitely are valuable in the here-and-now for providing updates on how I’m doing and how New York City is doing, I think these posts could also be valuable years and even decades from now when people are wondering what it was like to be in the epicenter of that pandemic in 2020. It’s not something I have up right now, but I hope to get the page up over the weekend.

That’s pretty much it from me. How are all of you doing?

[1] https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/27/reliable-antibody-tests-coronavirus-207589

15 Replies to “Coronavirus Update From New York City: April 30, 2020”

  1. I’m so happy you and your family remain healthy Brendan, but to have lost the number of people who you know is unimaginable. I think you’re smart holding off on the antibody test for both the reasons you listed, but also for the risk of going to a testing site.

    Your plan for a Corona Diary is a great idea and I can’t wait to read your first entry. Stay safe!🤗

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    1. It is unimaginable. It’s honestly still sinking in.

      Yeah, I hope to get an antibody test at some point. But only once it’s accurate.

      So, maybe I didn’t explain myself well in my post (and I apologize for that)–the “diary” will include all these weekly update posts. The diary may also include posts that are related to my blog’s focus but are also related to the coronavirus (for example, my post on littering and the coronavirus). My apologies for the confusion!

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      1. Glad to hear this. You are in an area that is so badly afected. Stay safe if you can and thankyou forr your blog

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    1. I definitely understand the worry. People are getting stir crazy, but I also urge people to look at NYC (who I think is ahead in Massachusetts in terms of the social distancing). By remaining disciplined enough for long enough, the number of new cases and deaths are going down significantly (albeit it’s still too high). I hope people in other parts of the country can show the same discipline.

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  5. 16??? That is a lot of loss. I find it fascinating that we’re all going through the same pandemic, but quite differently, depending on where we live. So for example, I think your diary and my chronicle, and someone else’s account would be so useful (now and) in the future.

    Sending well wishes to you!

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    1. Yep. 16. It is a lot of loss.

      Yeah, I think these different accounts of what it was like to live during these times will be useful. Especially if it turns out to be as monumental as I think it will be.

      Thanks for the wishes!

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  6. So glad you and your family are doing well. Glad to hear the death rate in NY is starting to slow down. Hope things start getting better and things can begin getting back to somewhat of a normal way. What really aggravates me is the arguing among people who see things so differently. And how one group of medical experts can say one thing and another say just the opposite. So many people seem to think this is all over blown and numbers are exaggerated. I have pretty much stopped looking at social media and listening to the news. My wife and I just try to do what we feel is best for us and keeping us and others safe and not worry about what everyone else is saying. Does that make sense?

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    1. It makes sense. There is a lot of noise going around, not all of it productive. What it comes down to, I think, is that not enough is known about the virus. Some say there will be a second wave in the fall, some say there won’t. Some say antibody tests are important, others say we don’t know whether having antibodies here will actually be helpful. While I have expressed some issues with Cuomo’s response in New York, I find the daily reporting of numbers by him helpful, as it’s good for getting a sense of whether the current measures of social distancing are working (and they appear to be working).

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  7. Thanks Brendan for the update and so glad for the improvement. (You must think it odd that I reply on Mondays but your blog comes to me on a weekly cycle.) I will tell you what the scary thing is here in New Hampshire — mobs at the state house many in camo with guns insisting on opening up. And our governor, A Republican whom I do not like on so many levels has been bucking Trump and holding the line — we will have some small openings over the next four weeks — but he is being uncharacteristically intelligent. (I had to say it — I may never have another chance)

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    1. Yikes. Some of the stuff that’s happening in places like New Hampshire and Michigan just sounds downright scary. I’m glad that your governor has been intelligent about things. Though I think it’s worth begging the question of why guns are even allowed in the state house in the first place, given all the security risks that come with having guns in such a sensitive place.

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