NYC coronavirus deaths near 13,000 — but daily toll is going down

At least 513 more people were killed by COVID-19 in the Big Apple in the past 24 hours — a grim number that nonetheless offered a ray of hope, as it was 209 fewer lives lost than the day before, city data released Saturday reveal.

The death toll in the five boroughs climbed to 12,712 with 126,368 total cases, up 4,220 from the day before, the city’s Department of Health revealed.

On Friday, 722 deaths were reported in the city, but the previous two days saw an increase of under 600 new deaths in the same 24-hour spans, the data shows.

The mortality total includes 8,448 New Yorkers whose COVID-19 cases were confirmed before their deaths, as well as 4,264 “probable” victims of the bug, those who showed symptoms of the illness.

Queens, with 38,733 COVID-19 cases, remained the epicenter in the epicenter, with more infected residents than any other borough, followed by Brooklyn at 33,729, The Bronx at 28,016, Manhattan at 16,404 and Staten Island at 9,414.