Coronavirus Cases In New York Jump 14% Overnight, Passing China's Hubei Province

KEY POINTS

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a coronavirus briefing on Tuesday the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state jumped 14% overnight
New York passed China's Hubei province, where the outbreak began, for the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, though some analysts expressed skepticism at the numbers China has released
Cuomo warned that New York won't hit its projected peak of confirmed cases for another 14 to 21 days

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the number of COVID-19 cases in the state surged overnight by 14%, bringing the statewide total to 75,795 cases and 1,550 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m tired of being behind this virus. We’ve been behind this virus from day one,” Cuomo said during a coronavirus briefing. “We underestimated this virus. It’s more powerful, it’s more dangerous than we expected.”

The number of confirmed cases in New York had risen to 66,497 by Monday, around 1,300 shy of the reported 67,801 cases in China’s Hubei province. Cuomo said another 9,298 cases were confirmed overnight, pushing the total over 75,795 confirmed cases and past the Hubei province. Around 400 of those new cases reportedly had to be hospitalized.

“We’re all anxious, we’re all tired, we’re all fatigued. It’s been all bad news for a long time. Our whole lifestyle has been disrupted,” Cuomo said. “Everybody wants to know one thing, when will it end. Nobody knows. We’re dealing with a war we’ve never dealt with before. We need a totally different mindset and organizational transformation.”

Cuomo had previously said the surge in cases since the beginning of March was due to the limited testing being done, leading to a “backlog” of cases.

Some analysts voiced their trepidation at the numbers coming out of China. This is due to reports from residents of Wuhan, Hubei’s capital city, that the death toll was higher than what had been released by the government.

The Chinese government has also reportedly tried to keep the number of cases low by not reporting any testing positive that showed no symptoms.

“There’s been no mass testing, which means the numbers should not be compared to the United States, where we are now doing, late, mass testing,” an economist for China Beige Book, whose name hasn’t been released, told CNBC.

Cuomo then warned that the virus’ expected peak won’t be for another 14 to 21 days.

“If our apex is 14 to 21 days ... then have to come down the other side of the mountain once you hit the apex,” Cuomo said. “So calibrate yourself and your expectations so you’re not disappointed every morning you get up.”