New York, April 21 (RHC)-- In New York City, numbers of positive cases of COVID-19 continue to trend downward.  Known coronavirus deaths dipped below 500 for the first time since April 2nd.  

The total official death toll remains by far the highest in the country at close to 19,000, with over a quarter of a million confirmed cases.  New York City has canceled all public events through June.

The New York State Nurses Association sued the New York Department of Health and two hospitals Monday for their failure to provide adequate safety measures at the start of the coronavirus crisis. This is 

Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the Nurses Association and an emergency room nurse, told reporters: “The hospitals were cooperative with the state in doubling their capacity, but they did not double their staffing.  And because so many of our nurses got sick, we were terribly understaffed, which really results in negative outcomes, and even death, of patients.  Because if you are only capable of taking care of one or two critically ill patients and you ended up being told you have to take care of five or six, you’re going to have to neglect four of them.”