New York state’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak surged Sunday above 1,000, less than a month after the first case was detected in the state.
New York City reported in the evening that its toll had risen to 776. The total number of statewide deaths isn’t expected to be released until Monday, but with at least 250 additional deaths recorded outside the city as of Sunday morning, the state’s total fatalities was at least 1,026.
The virus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has torn through New York with frightening speed. The first known infection in the state was discovered on March 1 in a health care worker who recently returned from Iran.