NYU Winthrop Hospital discharged its 750th coronavirus patient Tuesday two weeks after Gov. Andrew Cuomo had deemed the hospital one of New York’s eight COVID-19 hot spots.
NYU Winthrop admitted its first coronavirus patient in early March. At the time, the hospital was operating with only 511 beds. Winthrop was the first hospital on Long Island to report a coronavirus case.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center released its 1,000th COVID-19 patient, Floral Park resident Juan Sanchez, April 14.
Sanchez told Newsday that he began having difficulty breathing over two weeks ago. He called an ambulance and was taken to LIJ.
“After three days, I started to feel better, but I couldn’t leave until my oxygen level was back to normal,” he said.
Sanchez most likely contracted the virus at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens where he works, he said in an interview with Newsday. He said he was not forced to go into work.
Located in one of the poorest areas of Queens, which has been hardest hit by the virus, Elmhurst Hospital emerged in late March as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in New York.
“Elmhurst Hospital is at the center of responding to this crisis,” Cuomo tweeted on March 26. “It’s the No. 1 priority of our public hospital system right now.”
North Shore University Hospital sent home its 1,000th patient Saturday. Young Ryu, 46, of Queens had been in the hospital for more than a week.
The day was meaningful not only for Ryu, but for hospital staff as well. Doctors and nurses cheered as Ryu left the hospital.
The number of discharges is now outpacing the number of admissions, North Shore Medical Director Michael Gitman said.
Statewide, New York is still seeing an influx of 2,000 patients diagnosed with coronavirus per day. Continuing to stay at home and follow social distancing protocols is vital, Gitman stressed.
