7 Major Coronavirus Developments — Providence County is Fastest Growing in N.E. — April 4 UPDATED
GoLocalProv News Team
7 Major Coronavirus Developments — Providence County is Fastest Growing in N.E. — April 4 UPDATED
SEE UPDATE BELOW ON THE LIST OF NURSING HOMES
The analysis released by the New York Times is based on each state’s data reports.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThis increase may, in part, be that Rhode Island's testing program is finally being improved after weeks of delays. This past week the daily average improved to just over 500 tests per day - up from a daily average of less than 200 for the first four weeks of the crisis.
Providence County represents 60 percent of Rhode Island's population with 637,000 residents. SEE BELOW which Rhode Island city is statistically the state's hot spot.
Rhode Island nursing home's spread is becoming a significant concern for health officials.
According to the Department of Health, the places where Rhode Island is seeing groupings of cases among residents are Golden Crest Nursing Home; Oak Hill Health Center; Oakland Grove; Mount St. Rita; Riverview Nursing Home; and the Ballou Home. There have not been any cases to date at Jeanne Jugan or Briarcliffe.
READ BELOW: 7 Major Coronavirus Developments — April 4, 2020
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Department of Health had sent out an initial list of nursing homes in Rhode Island that the Department said had one or more cases of testing positive -- that list sent by RIDOH included Briarcliffe Manor.
Department of Health Spokesperson Joseph Wendelken told GoLocal on Saturday morning that "after reviewing their spreadsheet," Briarcliffe Manor was not one of the nursing homes with a COVID case.
The article has been updated.
Updated Saturday 12:01 PM
In a second email from RIDOH to GoLocal, the Department corrected that Cedar Crest does not have any cases. The Department of Health apologizes for the incorrect information.
UPDATED: Saturday at 1:32 PM
In a third email, the Department of Health said that Jeanne Jugan did not have any cases, as they had originally reported.
UPDATED: Sunday 10:14 AM
7 Major Coronavirus Developments — Providence County is Fastest Growing in N.E. — April 4, 2020
Pawtucket is Rhode Island's Hot Spot
While Providence has the most cases in Rhode Island -- 102 total cases, which is about average for a per capita ratio -- it is Pawtucket that is Rhode Island's hot spot.
Pawtucket has 6.7% of the state's population, but 12.7% of the confirmed cases.
Rich Hitting Tourist Spots
"Resort towns favored by the rich and famous are facing a coronavirus crisis as the 1% have fled cities for their holiday hideaways.
As the rich have rushed to escape to their luxury retreats, local officials are reporting a disproportionate rise in Covid-19 cases and getting increasingly angry and worried about cases overwhelming small local hospitals.
In Ketchum, Idaho, the nearest city to the luxurious Sun Valley ski resort, Mayor Neil Bradshaw warned that the region was not the place for a “virus vacation”.
In last year’s ski season, Sun Valley had 426,500 skier days. For decades, it has been a hotspot for jet-setting celebrities and billionaires including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mark Zuckerberg, Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood. As of Thursday, there were 351 confirmed cases in its county, which is home to only 22,000 people."
New York Being Hammered
New York, the worst-hit state, on Friday saw its highest single increase in deaths.
A total of 2,935 people have now died in the state, up from 2,373 Thursday -- a total of 562.
Long Island is Spiking
New York City is not the only place being hit hard - now, Long Island is seeing a surge.
"The number of cases on Long Island has begun to surge, testing the health-care and emergency-response systems even in some of the state’s wealthiest communities," reports the Wall Street Journal.
"In recent days, as New York City has remained the center of attention amid a national response to the pandemic, state and local officials have been shocked at how quickly the caseload is also rising Nassau and Suffolk counties, the two counties that make up suburban Long Island — with a combined estimated population of almost 3 million," according to the Post.
Numbers
711 Cases in Rhode Island
10,402 Cases in Massachusetts
14 Deaths in RI
192 Deaths in Massachusetts
277,621 Cases in the United States
7,403 Deaths in the United States
1,133,449 Global Cases
60,153 Global Deaths
239,339 Global Recoveries
Masks and Face Covers
Rhode Island Department of Health Director Dr. Alexander-Scott on Friday encouraged Rhode Islanders to consider wearing cloth face covers when in public.
A cloth face cover is a material that covers the nose and mouth. It can be secured to the head with ties or straps, or wrapped around the lower face. A cloth face cover could be sewn by hand or improvised from household items such as scarves or T-shirts. (Face covers are different than N95 facemasks.
People in the general public should not be purchasing or hoarding medical grade masks, such as N95s.) The primary role of a cloth face cover is to reduce the release of infectious particles into the air when someone speaks, coughs, or sneezes.
Cloth face covers are not substitutes for physical distancing, washing your hands, and staying home when ill.
Providence Limits Parks Usage
While Governor Raimondo has clamped down on the use of state beaches and parks, the City of Providence said in a statement on Friday that people should visit parks "within their neighborhood."
The city sent out the following:
As residents continue to use parks and green spaces across the city during this time, they are encouraged to follow the 5-person limit on all gatherings, social distance at least 6 feet apart and visit parks within their neighborhood.
GoLocal LIVE Coronavirus Coverage
Saturday
1 PM Governor Gina Raimondo Press Briefing
Sunday
1 PM Governor Gina Raimondo Press Briefing
