Confirmed NYS Coronavirus Deaths Top 25,000

New York State’s confirmed coronavirus deaths topped 25,000 Wednesday as Gov. Andrew Cuomo added nine more names to the toll, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Daily death tolls have dropped to the single digits in recent weeks, down from an 11-day stretch of in April, where hundreds of New Yorkers were dying a day. New York City accounts for the lion’s share of the state’s confirmed deaths (65%) and adds another 4,616 fatalities that were probably attributable to the virus but were never connected via diagnosis.

Cuomo acknowledges the state’s actual death toll is likely much higher – and warns it could grow more if New Yorkers don’t continue the mitigation measures like masks and social distancing that he said bent the curve in the first place.

“New Yorkers brought the curve down by making big changes, and we see that work reflected in the numbers every day,” Cuomo said Wednesday. “But we must continue to be smart – by wearing a mask, social distancing and washing our hands. We cannot go back to the [terrible numbers] we experienced three months ago, so please stay vigilant and New York Tough.”

Lack of compliance in parts of the state is already fueling new waves of outbreak. Parties over the Fourth of July weekend on Long Island have contributed to a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, some of which may be due to disregard for social distancing or mask-wearing measures, officials said.