NEW YORK — New York City reported its first coronavirus death of a person under 18 years old as the number of fatalities in the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak continued to rise rapidly.
City officials announced Tuesday that 250 more ambulances and 500 paramedics and EMTs are headed to New York to help manage record numbers of calls for assistance.
New York City’s Health Department did not disclose details about the person’s exact age.
There have been 914 coronavirus deaths in New York City, the department reported Monday.
More than 1,200 have died of covid-19 across New York state, and 9,500 people are hospitalized with the disease statewide. More than 66,000 people statewide have tested positive for the virus, including more than 38,000 in New York City.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that he expects the crisis to stretch through May. “For the weeks ahead, let’s not kid ourselves, it gets a lot worse before it gets better,” de Blasio said on NBC’s “Today.”
The virus, which causes the disease covid-19, has spread rapidly across the globe. It causes mild symptoms in many of those infected, but it can cause severe symptoms or death for some, including older adults and those with underlying medical conditions such as respiratory ailments. Relatively few deaths among children have been reported.
New York City officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a partnership Tuesday to bring 250 more ambulances and 500 paramedics and emergency medical technicians from around the nation to the city.
“Our EMTs and paramedics are doing unbelievable work under the toughest of circumstances,” de Blasio said in a statement. “Our partnership with FEMA will give our first responders the help they need to continue being the heroes of our city.”
The city’s Emergency Medical Service has been responding to record numbers of emergencies since the covid-19 crisis hit this month. Calls for assistance have been up by 50% over normal daily call volume.
