NYC Coronavirus Death Toll Could Be Several Thousand above Official Tally

By Staff, Agencies

The coronavirus death toll in New York City could surpass the official tally by several thousand, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] said in a report Monday.

From March 11 to May 2, the number of deaths registered in the city surged above the regular figures for the time period, with 24,172 "excess" fatalities reported, according to the CDC's analysis. 

Within this timeframe, the city's coronavirus death tally stood at 18,879, including 13,831 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 5,048 suspected coronavirus fatalities.

"The 5,293 excess deaths not identified as confirmed or probable COVID-19–associated deaths might have been directly or indirectly attributable to the pandemic," the report said.

The "indirect" fatalities may have resulted from such factors as the overwhelming workload for hospitals and an atmosphere of anxiety preventing people from seeking medical assistance at once.

Relatively, New York state has been the hardest hit by America's outbreak, with more than 26,600 declared deaths, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.

On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that a number of areas in the state, including  Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier, are set to get down to reopening their economies this week.

Cuomo credited the lockdown measures imposed in the state for decreasing the infection rate and thus preventing a collapse of the local healthcare system.