New York's 1st COVID deaths reported 4 years ago. How will state respond to next outbreak?
The first COVID-related deaths in New York were announced four years ago this week. One was in Rockland County, the other in New York City.
An 82-year-old New York City woman who had emphysema was the first documented death in the state. Later the same day, the death of a 64-year-old Suffern resident was reported as COVID-related. According to the Rockland medical examiner, the Suffern person also had health problems that likely contributed.
The next week, Rockland, Westchester and other counties announced states of emergency. Schools across the Lower Hudson Valley closed, although East Ramapo had already shuttered for cleaning after a spate of cases there.
While the the March 16, 2020, announcement of Rockland's state of emergency was moved outside, few wore facemasks and social distancing, while recommended, was for the most part not practiced.
That quickly changed.
Communities pulled together
By the end of March, local COVID cases had soared.
Communities pulled together in those early days.
Groups sewed masks and other PPE for local hospitals that pleaded for help amid shortages.
Local musicians serenaded Montefiore Nyack Hospital workers during shift change, performing across the street, from a safe distance.
All over the world, people would bang pots and pans to show their support for first-responders.
The cost of COVID
More than 1.1 million Americans have died due to COVID-19, including nearly 84,000 New Yorkers, according to 2024 federal data.
Rockland's COVID-related deaths topped 1,000 by November 2021. More than 3,000 deaths have been reported in Westchester.
Among those lost: pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. James T. Goodrich, a Grand View-on-Hudson resident who developed new methods for separating conjoined twins; Lenora Garfinkel, among the first women to study architecture at Cooper Union, was known for her design of grand structures that serve the Orthodox Jewish community; and nurse Maria Roaquin, known to family and friends as Bambi, who served at various Hudson Valley medical facilities.
Next steps
New York state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would set up a commission to study the response of local and state governments to the pandemic.
COVID lessons:What are next steps in prepping NY for next pandemic? Bill eyes study
Another bill would examine how the state handled COVID in nursing homes, including policies that drew criticism of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who resigned in 2021 amid accusations of sex harassment.
There's also a push in Congress to create a 9/11 Commission-style task force to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concern about measles' worldwide spread
The review of COVID policies comes as measles spreads worldwide, including in New York. So far, no cases have been found outside NYC.
The increase in cases prompted Rockland County Health Department last month to issue an advisory urging vaccination against the highly contagious virus. Rockland County was the focus of a 2018-2019 measles outbreak.
Polio:Rockland hits full year since paralytic virus found in wastewater
“As the disease spreads in the U.S., we are taking proactive measures to prevent Rockland County from enduring a repeat of the measles outbreak in 2018, when measles surfaced and a total of 312 cases were confirmed,” Rockland County Executive Ed Day said. “To successfully prevent measles from resurfacing in this county we need cooperation from all communities.”
Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy for lohud.com and the USA Today Network New York. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her at @nancyrockland on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Threads.