coronavirus new york city

Coronavirus News: NYC death toll surges over 10,000 in revised count

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

NYC death toll soars past 10,000 in revised count

Candance McCowan reports the count now includes those not tested for coronavirus

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City added 3,700 deaths to the count, pushing the death toll over 11,000, because they were presumed to have died of coronavirus, but never tested positive.

These are deaths of people at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or private homes who never received a test but are likely to have died of coronavirus in the last month.

While these deaths have not been included in publicly announced counts until now, city health officials have been cataloging these additional people, examining their symptoms and medical histories.

In including the deaths, the city is acknowledging that limited testing makes it impossible to ever know exactly how many people have died of coronavirus.

While the state is attributing 7,905 deaths in New York City to coronavirus, this additional number - 3,778 - pushes NYC's death toll over 11,000 and puts the statewide toll at about 15,000.

"Behind every death is a friend, a family member, a loved one. We are focused on ensuring that every New Yorker who died because of COVID-19 gets counted," said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. "As a city, it is part of the healing process to be able to grieve and mourn for all those that have passed because of COVID-19. While these data reflect the tragic impact that the virus has had on our city, they will also help us to determine the scale and scope of the epidemic and guide us in our decisions."