New York, the hardest-hit U.S. state amid the coronavirus crisis, could be looking at a "possible flattening of the curve," Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Monday. Cuomo in his daily briefing announced that the state's COVID-19 death toll has reached 4,758, up from 4,159 the day before. The number of deaths climbed by 599 in 24 hours, which was roughly on par with the previous day's 594 new deaths, The
New York Times notes. "While none of this is good news, the possible flattening of the curve is better than the increases that we have seen," Cuomo said. New York has confirmed about 130,000 coronavirus cases, the most of any state in the country. But Cuomo had previously pointed to the fact that the number of new hospitalizations was starting to double at a slower rate as some good news, and he said Monday that new hospitalizations, daily ICU admissions, and daily intubations are down."Those are all good signs," Cuomo said. "And would again suggest a possible flattening of the curve."Cuomo in the briefing also announced that schools and non-essential businesses must remain closed until at least April 29, emphasizing the importance of the state's distancing rules. "If that curve is turning, it's turning because the rate of infection is going down," Cuomo said. "One of the reasons the rate of infection is going down is because social distancing is working. We have to continue the social distancing."