The WRVO newsroom will use this space to provide updates about the coronavirus and COVID-19 in New York. Scroll down to see the most recent news and information.
New York cases by the numbers, according to the New York State Health Department:
- Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 385,760 (as of June 18 at 1:00 p.m.)
- COVID-19 related deaths: 24,661
All of our coverage of the coronavirus outbreak from WRVO and NPR can be found here.
If you think you have the coronavirus, or have questions about the disease, please call your healthcare provider, or call the Novel Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided a list of answers to frequently asked questions about the coronavirus. Here are the latest numbers on the outbreak in the United States.
Note: We have created an archive of previous updates to this liveblog so we can continue to update it regularly. To see previous updates from March 13- June 1, click here.
Latest News
Thursday, June 18
6:30 p.m. A note from WRVO News Director Jason Smith:
I wanted to take a moment to bring you an update on this live blog. It's been a large undertaking since it was created more than three months ago. We started it as a way to bring you updates quickly, because so much was happening so fast at the beginning of the pandemic. We could have easily done 10-15 stories a day on everything that was happening. But our news department just isn't big enough, and we don't have the resources to do that many stories a day, so the live blog was born.
Since March 13, this page has been viewed more than 34,000 times. It has been updated seven days a week for more than three months. But it's time to put the live updates to bed. The daily briefings from public officials have become more sporadic. After Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's daily briefing will no longer be daily.
Going forward, this page will no longer be updated. Instead, we've created a new page where we will continue to post updated numbers from around the state and around our region. We will also continue to post briefings from public officials. And we will, of course, continue to do separate stories on major developments as our region continues the reopening process.
Thank you for reading, and stay safe.
11:55 a.m. Cuomo says he will sign an executive order allowing for the immediate loss of a liquor license for a bar or restaurant that violates reopening rules. Those establishments could also face a shutdown order. Cuomo says the state will also release guidance today for colleges and universities to use for their reopening plans. They must submit their reopening plan to the state for approval, and must follow the guidance.
11:50 a.m. Gov. Cuomo calls central New York "a caution sign" because the rate of positive tests has jumped from 1.1% to 3.0%, mainly due to a cluster of cases at an apple processing plant in the Town of Oswego. Cuomo says there have been 34 positive cases of COVID-19 there so far.
11:20 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 from New York City. Watch below (video player will appear once the briefing begins).
Wednesday, June 17
3:10 p.m. No briefing today from Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is holding a briefing today, which you can watch below.
12:00 p.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says there were 17 deaths in the state from COVID-19 in the last day, the lowest daily number of deaths since the pandemic began. The number of hospitalizations in the state is also the lowest it has been since March. "We are going to turn the page on the immediacy of this crisis," Cuomo said. He announced that Friday will be his last daily briefing, and he will conduct briefings "as needed" after that.
10:55 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing from Albany at 11:30. Watch below (video player will appear once the briefing begins).
Tuesday, June 16
10:40 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 in Albany. Watch below (video player will appear once the briefing has started).
Monday, June 15
7:00 p.m. Oswego County officials are investigating a surge in cases of COVID-19. There have been 14 new cases reported in the last two days, bringing the total in the county to 132. Severn county residents who work at Champlain Valley of NY, Inc., an apple packaging plant in the Town of Oswego, have tested positive. The county is working with the state health department to test all of the company's employees.
2:40 p.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon has canceled his daily briefing for today. His next briefing may not be until Friday at the earliest. Syracuse.com reported today that McMahon has also canceled Wednesday's briefing as well.
2:20 p.m. Gov. Cuomo said today that areas in Phase 3 of reopening can now have gatherings of up to 25 people, up from 10. Western New York is set to enter Phase 3 tomorrow, while the Capital region is expected to move into Phase 3 Wednesday.
11:20 a.m. Gov. Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30. Watch below (video player will appear once the briefing begins).
Sunday, June 14
12:13 p.m. Cuomo says the state has received 25,000 complaints about businesses not following reopening guidelines, mostly bars and restaurants. He says the State Liquor Authority is investigating complaints and bars and restaurants could lose their liquor license if they don't follow the rules. He's calling on local governments to enforce the rules. He says instead of ordering shutdowns in entire regions if establishments are not following the rules, he will reverse openings in certain localities where the local government is not enforcing the rules. He warned Manhattan and the Hamptons especially. "Local government, do your job."
12:06 p.m. Cuomo says "low risk" youth sports can resume in areas in Phase 3 starting July 6. This includes baseball, softball, gymnastics, crew and field hockey. Two spectators per child will be allowed.
12:05 p.m. Gov. Cuomo says the number of deaths in the last day is it's lowest since the pandemic began. 23 people in the state have died in the last 24 hours. "This is really great news. This has caused a lot of pain, and we breathe a deep sigh of relief today." The number of people hospitalized is also at its lowest level since March 20.
11:55 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at noon. Watch below.
Saturday, June 13
11:55 a.m. Cuomo says Western NY will move into Phase 3 on Tuesday and the Capital Region will enter Phase 3 on Wednesday. He says local governments have to enforce compliance. "It's no popular, it's not fun. Everyone wants to be out, I get it. Discipline matters. He says he spoke to the regional control rooms yesterday and told them "Mayors, county executives, do your job."
11:49 a.m. Gov. Cuomo says 32 people have died in the last day from COVID-19. It is the lowest daily number of deaths since the pandemic began. "We have tamed the beast," Cuomo said. The number of hospitalizations is also at its lowest since March 20. But Cuomo said it is not over yet. He says more than half of states have seen numbers going up. "New York is exactly the opposite. Virtually all other states have reopened and the number of cases has gone up," he said.
11:00 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 a.m. Watch below (live video will appear once the briefing begins).
Friday, June 12
3:30 p.m. Watch Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon's briefing below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geIk7IN9GDs
1:00 p.m. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is giving his weekly briefing. Watch below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0y316pxAOw
11:30 a.m. Watch Gov. Cuomo's briefing below.
10:50 a.m. A few updates this morning. Gov. Cuomo's briefing will start at 11:30 a.m. And Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon's briefing will be pushed back a bit today. It will begin at 3:30 p.m.
9:45 a.m. Good morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing later today. We'll update the time and post video here once we know when it's happening. Also, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh will give a briefing at 1 p.m. and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will give a briefing at 3 p.m. Live video of all of today's briefings will be here on the blog when they begin.
Thursday, June 11
11:45 a.m. Cuomo also says the state will allow public pools and playgrounds to reopen, with localities being allowed to make the decision.
11:40 a.m. Gov. Cuomo says five regions of the state, Central New York, the North Country, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier, can enter Phase Three of reopening starting tomorrow.
11:30 a.m. Watch Gov. Cuomo's briefing below.
10:15 a.m. Good morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will hold a briefing at 11:30 in Albany. We'll have live video here once it begins. A reminder that Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will not be hold a briefing today. His next briefing will be at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 10
3:15 p.m. McMahon says he hasn't heard from the state whether Phase Three could start on Friday or if it will be over the weekend. "There are no guarantees in life," McMahon said, but he said restaurants would like to be open on Friday night, noting that restaurants are the number two producer of sales tax in the county.
3:10 p.m. Oneida County has reported seven new deaths from COVID-19. According to a release from the county health department, four of the deaths occurred in nursing homes in the last two weeks, but the county was just notified by the state. Of the three other deaths being reported, two were nursing home related.
3:05 p.m. McMahon says there has been one death from COVID-19 in the last day, bringing the total number of deaths to 161 since March 16 . There are now 2,351 total cases in the county, up 15 from yesterday. McMahon says the three day infection rate in Onondaga County is down to 0.8%. There are currently 910 active cases in the county, with 1,285 recoveries. 57 people are hospitalized, 12 are in critical condition. Of the people in hospitals, McMahon says at least half are waiting to be discharged.
2:55 p.m. Watch Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon's briefing below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1lfqf1GHuE
2:20 p.m. The state is relaxing its mandate that nursing home workers be tested twice a week. Workers in areas currently in Phase Two of reopening must still be tested once a week. According to the state health commissioner, the infection rate has fallen to the point where less rigorous testing is acceptable. Nursing home workers in New York City, which just entered Phase One of reopening this week, must still be tested twice a week.
11:30 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is giving his daily briefing. Watch below.
9:45 a.m. Good morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 a.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will also hold a briefing today at 3 p.m. We'll have live video of both briefings here when they begin.
Tuesday, June 9
5:50 p.m. Onondaga County has reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 in the last day, bringing the total number of cases to 2,336. 60 people are hospitalized, down 10 from the previous day. Of the 60, 30 are waiting to be discharged. But the county also reported four new deaths from the disease, bringing the total to 160. See the map above for the most recent numbers from around the region.
2:50 p.m. Reminder: Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will not be holding a briefing today. Future briefings will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
12:02 p.m. Gov. Cuomo says the state is creating a new online dashboard that shows the number of daily tests conducted and the percentage of positive tests. "This is the number to focus on," Cuomo said.
11:30 a.m. Gov. Cuomo is giving his daily briefing. Watch below.
10:20 a.m. The state has released guidance for phase three of reopening. People who had been hoping to see gyms and fitness centers on the list will likely be disappointed. Businesses included in phase three include restaurants for indoor dining, nail salons, tattoo and piercing parlors, spas, etc. Read the guidance here.
10:15 a.m. Good morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 a.m. We'll post the video here when the briefing begins.
Monday, June 8
8:00 p.m. There will be two opportunities for Oswego County residents to get free food and milk this week, including two gallons of milk and one box (each) of produce and meat per car/household. Details are as follows:
- Wednesday, June 10 starting at 11 a.m. at Oswego Speedway (300 E. Albany St., Oswego). Note: All traffic must enter from the east bound lane on East Albany St. only – no left hand turn into the Speedway will be allowed.
Thursday, June 11 beginning at 10 a.m. at Catholic Charities of Oswego in Fulton (808 W. Broadway, Fulton).
4 p.m. Upstate University's mobile COVID-19 testing unit will be in Oswego County this week for drive-up testing. Residents may obtain a test at at Pulaski High School (4624 Salina Street) this Thursday, June 11 between 10 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.
3:15 p.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said they have not seen an uptick in COVID cases from a week ago, when protests against police brutality started. He said community spread cases are probably in the single digits.
“It will be interesting to see how much better we can get,” McMahon said.
3:10 p.m. There has been one death from COVID-19 in a hospital in Onondaga County since Sunday. The victim was an African American man in his 50s. Over the weekend, one Caucasian female in her 60s died. One nursing home resident died, according to New York State. A total of 156 residents in the county have died from COVID. Seventy people with the virus are in the hospital, but 35 people are waiting to be discharged. Thirteen people are in critical condition. Nearly 10 percent of the population of Onondaga County has been tested.
2:55 p.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will give his briefing at 3 p.m. Watch below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV2KGAikbZs
11:50 a.m. New York City will perform 35,000 tests per day to more closely monitor cases and any potential increase in spread of the virus as they move into Phase One of reopening, which includes things like curbside pickup for retail and restaurants. Cuomo again urged protestors to get tested for the coronavirus at any one of 15 testing sites in New York City which are prioritized for protestors.
Some other details from today's briefing:
- The deadline for filing property tax abatements will be extended for business and property owners -- to July 15.
- The MTA is reopening and taking extra precautions to keep riders and workers safe: cleaning and disinfecting trains and buses daily. Masks will be mandatory for riders of public transportation.
11:30 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo gives his daily briefing from Albany. Releases new numbers for COVID-19 testing: 58,054 tests conducted as of Sunday with 702 positive cases. That's a 1.2% positive rate.
9:25 a.m. The governor's briefing is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. today. We'll have live video available when it begins.
5:30 a.m. Good morning. Today, we are expecting the usual briefings from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon later. Join us back here for live video. Here are some details from yesterday:
- Cuomo held an afternoon briefing in which he shared some new numbers: New York state now has the lowest number of daily positive tests since March 16. Tests conducted Saturday show a 1% positive rate.
- Onondaga County shared their latest coronavirus stats yesterday, as well. There are 34 new cases, with a total of 2,305. Twenty-eight of those new cases are affiliated with senior living facilities and six are from community spread. One hospital death was reported yesterday. McMahon has also extended local orders to continue to test county inmates for COVID-19 and to continue the required use of face masks by county employees (if they are unable to maintain social distancing while on the job).
Sunday, June 7
12:12 p.m. Cuomo says outdoor, socially distanced high school graduations can be held starting June 26. That is subject to any outbreaks or significant changes, Cuomo says.
12:11 p.m. Cuomo says the state conducted 60,435 tests yesterday, with 781 positives. That's the lowest number of daily positive tests since March 16. That is about a 1% positive rate. "That is very, very good news," Cuomo says.
11:00 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at noon today. Watch below. (Video player will appear once the briefing begins).
Saturday, June 6
11:47 a.m. Cuomo says he will sign an executive order today to allow commercial buildings to take the temperature of people before entering.
11:40 a.m. Cuomo says because the metrics look good, churches/temples/mosques will be allowed to open at 25% capacity, with social distancing, starting today.
11:33 a.m. Gov. Cuomo says 35 people died in the state from COVID-19 in the last day. "We don't want to see anyone die in New York, but this is really good news," Cuomo said. The number of hospitalizations is also the lowest it's been since March.
10:45 a.m. Good morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 a.m. in Albany. Watch below. (Video player will appear once the briefing begins).
Friday, June 5
3:08 p.m. McMahon says there has been one death in hospitals in the last day, the state reported one death in nursing homes, but he says he's not sure when they passed away. This brings the total up to 151 deaths due to COVID-19. There are now 2,243 positive cases in the county, up 21 from the last day. 64 people are hospitalized, 12 are in critical condition. Of the 64 people in hospitals, McMahon says "about 34" have either recovered or are healthy enough to go back to their nursing homes, but can't because they have not yet tested negative for COVID-19.
2:55 p.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will give his briefing at 3 p.m. Watch below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRJZsZZoZlo
12:55 p.m. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh will give a briefing at 1:00 p.m. Watch below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSiOWpHB6Fc
11:50 a.m. Cuomo says 8 weeks ago there were 800 deaths a day from COVID-19. Yesterday, there were 42 deaths. "People say 'what did you do?' I did nothing," said Cuomo. "The people of the state radically changed how they behaved."
11:15 a.m. Gov. Cuomo will give his briefing at 11:30 a.m. Watch below (video player will appear once the briefing starts).
8:30 a.m. Good morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give a briefing later today. We'll have live video here on the blog once it begins. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh will hold a briefing at 1 p.m., and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will hold a briefing at 3 p.m. Live video of all of today's briefings will be right here.
Thursday, June 4
5:00 p.m. Here are the latest numbers from Onondaga County today. There have been two more deaths in hospitals in the last day, and the state has reported three more deaths in nursing homes, bringing the total number of deaths to 149. There have been 40 new cases of COVID-19 since yesterday, bringing the total to 2,222. 69 people are hospitalized, 12 in cirtical condition. Of the 69 in hospitals, "at least 35" are waiting to be discharged.
2:06 p.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon has canceled today's COVID-19 briefing, out of respect for the memorial service for George Floyd taking place this afternoon, he said in a statement. The next briefing will be tomorrow at 3 p.m.
12:00 p.m. A couple of bits from Gov. Cuomo's briefing today:
- Cuomo says the state is expanding the testing criteria to allow anyone who has participated in a protest to get tested. He says he's concerned that there will be an increase in cases because so many people are in close contact, many not wearing masks.
- The state will allow school districts to hold "drive-in and drive-thru" graduation ceremonies. He says the state is still looking into how to hold graduations.
11:20 a.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 a.m. Watch below (video player will appear once the briefing begins).
Wednesday, June 3
3:12 p.m. McMahon says the state reported three more death in nursing homes, but he says he's not sure when they passed away. This brings the total up to 144 deaths due to COVID-19. There are now 2,182 positive cases in the county, up 30 from the last day. 74 people are hospitalized, 13 are in critical condition. Of the 74 people in hospitals, McMahon says 43 have either recovered or are healthy enough to go back to their nursing homes, but can't because they have not yet tested negative for COVID-19. McMahon says there are two locations in the county that these people can go to as a transition, but McMahon is just waiting for approval from the state health department.
2:55 p.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will give his briefing at 3 p.m. Watch below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1fmyxfin8c
2:30 p.m. Some great news for local restaurants today. Gov. Cuomo announced this afternoon that restaurants in the seven regions that have entered phase two of reopening can resume outdoor dining starting tomorrow. All restaurant employees must wear masks, table must be at least six feet apart, and customers must wear a mask when they are not seated.
11:20 a.m. Good morning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 in albany. Watch below. (video player will appear once the briefing begins).
Tuesday, June 2
3:12 p.m. McMahon says there has been another death in a hospitals in Onondaga County in the last day, and the state reported one more death in nursing homes, bringing the total up to 141 deaths due to COVID-19. There are now 2,152 positive cases in the county, up 23 from the last day. 71 people are hospitalized, 13 are in critical condition. Of the 71 people in hospitals, McMahon says "more than 40" have either recovered or are healthy enough to go back to their nursing homes, but can't because they have not yet tested negative for COVID-19. McMahon says there are two locations in the county that these people can go to, but McMahon is just waiting for approval from the state health department.
2:55 p.m. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will give a briefing at 3:00 p.m. Watch below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQvDZ6e3DgU
11:25 a.m. Gov. Cuomo will give his daily briefing at 11:30 a.m. Watch below (video player will appear once the briefing begins).
9:00 a.m. Good morning. On the blog today, we'll have live video of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's briefing. We'll update this post when we know what time it starts. We'll also have live video of Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon's briefing at 3 p.m.