New York’s deadliest week yet for coronavirus cases hit two Queens hospitals particularly hard.
Long Island Jewish Medical Center on the Queens/Nassau County border and Long Island Jewish Forest Hills hospital had more than 70 deaths each during a seven-day stretch from April 4 through Friday, according to Northwell Health, which runs the hospitals.
Deaths per day at Long Island Jewish Medical Center hit 18 on Thursday, double the number on April 4, Northwell figures show. A total of 73 patients died in those seven days.
Long Island Jewish Forest Hills logged 72 deaths, with the highest daily number climbing to 13 on Monday and Friday, Northwell said.
Deaths at Staten Island University Hospital totaled 61 and Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan recorded 32; both also are operated by Northwell, the biggest hospital system in the state.
The health system, which also runs an ambulance service, has been transferring about 50 patients a day from the Forest Hills hospital, which has 312 beds, according to Terence Lynam, a Northwell spokesman.
“They’re just totally jammed,” Lynam said.
In some cases, patients from Queens were sent some 50 miles east to Northwell’s Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, which had more room.
Northwell added an extra 1,500 beds across its hospitals, placing them in conference rooms, lobbies and unused operating suites.
To beef up staffing, Northwell hired 100 temporary nurses, had 125 nurses from its outpatient practices switch to hospital care and turned to the University of Rochester Medical Center for help.
There were some signs last week that the coronavirus crisis may be easing. An increasing number of COVID-19 patients have been able to go home, with a record 475 leaving Wednesday throughout the 17-hospital system.
There were 3,311 COVID-19 cases Saturday morning across the Northwell system, a number that dipped by 90 from the previous day, Lynam said.
“There’s still a steady stream of patients coming in, but the good news is that more of them are leaving,” he said.