Governor Cuomo moves presidential primary date as COVID-19 cases top 52,000 statewide, 5,550 in Nassau

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Governor Cuomo has moved the presidential primary date from April 28 to June 23 because of concern over possible COVID-19 spread during the primary. The move came Saturday as coronavirus cases statewide surpassed 52,000, including 5,537 in Nassau County.

Overnight from Friday to Saturday, Nassau had seven new deaths, bringing the total to 34, according to County Executive Laura Curran.

She added that the virus has spread to the Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow, where three inmates have been infected and 13 are under "precautionary quarantine."

Curran said another virus, with symptoms similar to COVID-19, appears to be out in the community, making detection of the coronavirus harder. 

"If you are mildly symptomatic," she said, "you can stay home and call your healthcare provider."

Statewide, 728 people have died of the coronavirus to date, Cuomo said.

President Trump approved four new emergency hospitals in New York City, one in each of the outer boroughs, Cuomo said.

Statewide, new COVID-19 hospitalizations were down by a little more than 300 people overnight. "You could argue the trend is slowing," the governor said. "We'll track it every day and see where it goes."

He noted, however, that the peak of cases appears to be two to three weeks away, when, he said, the state could need as many as 30,000 ventilators to treat the most critically ill. The state is searching for new supplies now.