NY Surpasses 50K Coronavirus Deaths

NEW YORK CITY — More than 50,000 New Yorkers have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic reached the state a year ago.

The state's grim milestone was documented Monday morning by Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker, which compiles data on cases from across the city, state, nation and world.

The tally of confirmed and probable deaths from the virus in the state stood at 50,017 as of roughly 9:30 a.m., according to the tracker.

Of those deaths, roughly 31,000 were in New York City, according to the city's own data.

"This is a very somber milestone, as you know, for the state of New York,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

As New York state reached and surpassed the milestone, it also hit a watershed in the fight against the virus.

More than 3 million New Yorkers are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins data. About 1.4 million were fully vaccinated in New York City, the city's data states.

Statewide, about 16 percent of state residents have completed their vaccinations, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

"As New Yorkers we've overcome every challenge COVID brought before us, and now that we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, we need to remain strong, united and determined - and not let our guard down," Cuomo said in a statement.