New York records first day without coronavirus deaths since March

City had seen Covid-19 fatalities every day for four months until Saturday

New York City surpassed a pandemic milestone last week with no Covid-19 deaths over 24 hours for the first time since March, authorities said.

Coronavirus data published on Sunday showed no deaths on Saturday – marking an end to continuous Covid-19 deaths seen since 11 March, according to multiple reports.

The coronavirus claimed the lives of more than 22,000 New Yorkers between 11 March and 11 July, when no deaths occurred for the first time during the pandemic.

Health department data shows that 13 March was the last 24 hour period in which no probable or confirmed coronavirus deaths were seen in the city.

The department added on Sunday that two probable coronavirus deaths were reported on Friday, when no other deaths were attributed to Covid-19.

The data suggests that New York City went almost 48 hours without any confirmed deaths from Covid-19.

That came as hospitalisations across New York state dropped below 800 for the first time since 18 March on Saturday.

At the same time, the state’s three-day average death toll dropped to 7 – the lowest since 16 March.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that New Yorkers “[should] not give up the ground we’ve worked so hard to gain together, particularly in the face of rising cases throughout the country and compliance issues here at home”.

He added in an interview that the virus would “come back” to New York, where deaths peaked at 799 on 8 April.

“It is going to come back here. It’s like being on a merry-go-round. It’s totally predictable. And we’re going to go through an increase. I can feel it coming. And it is so unnecessary and so cruel.”

Those comments come as Covid-19 surges in states such as Texas, Florida and California since lockdown restrictions were eased.