New York City's Public Advocate Sends Real Information on COVID-19

New York City’s Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams is a man of the people. The Brooklynite goes out of his way to make sure that they are being treated correctly, but also are well informed. Please receive his remarks and take care of yourself.

“I know that the spread of COVID-19, and the critical measures in place to slow it, have taken a toll on all of us – our families, our neighbors, our businesses, our communities. And the reality is that this impact, this crisis, is only continuing to grow.

As many of us have heard, the Governor recently said that between 40 and 80 percent of New Yorkers will contract COVID-19. Globally, in some areas, we have seen a fatality rate of around 0.5 percent in places with the most proactive responses, in others around 3 percent with an inadequate response.

Combatting the further spread of this virus here in New York centers on two components – testing for the virus and implementing restrictive measures to reduce congestion. We are still behind where we should be, relative to the scope and stakes of this crisis.

With a low mortality and a low contract rate, experts estimate that under 20,000 lives could be lost in New York City through this crisis – a number comparable to casualties from a very bad flu. With high rates, that number could be more than 200,000 in New York City alone. While one life lost is tragic, hundreds of thousands are hard to even conceive. This is a sobering but clear call to action, one we can and must meet with urgency and purpose.

The difference between realizing the best case and the worst is us, is our actions, is our social responsibility. We can all do the right thing, following the new restrictions and imploring those we know to do the same. We can beat the projections, we can flatten the curve, we can save lives, and we have a moral obligation to do what we can.”

Make sure that you are taking care of yourself.