Upstate University Hospital has confirmed that nearly 20 of its students and staff have contracted the novel coronavirus. 

Sixteen employees and two students at Upstate have tested positive for the virus, Syracuse.com reported Thursday. The hospital did not provide any additional information about the patients’ conditions. 

The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected at least 981,221 people and killed 50,230 worldwide. New York state had confirmed 92,381 cases as of Thursday afternoon, and 2,373 people in the state have died. 

Onondaga County has confirmed 277 cases of the virus as of Wednesday afternoon. One person in the county has died of the virus.

Twenty-seven health workers in Syracuse have tested positive for COVID-19 in total, according to Syracuse.com. Crouse Hospital has reported four positive cases of the virus among its staff, while St. Joseph’s Health has reported seven. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that health workers from upstate New York hospitals are transferring to downstate facilities to help combat the virus in New York City and its suburbs. Downstate and upstate hospitals will collaborate to manage the virus’ impact on the state, Cuomo said.

As a last-resort, overwhelmed hospitals downstate may transfer patients to upstate hospitals, Cuomo said. One downstate patient has already transferred to an upstate hospital, although it was a “one-off” situation, he said. The Department of Health will coordinate all future transfers, he said.

Cuomo has also called for qualified medical students to enlist in the state’s efforts to combat COVID-19. More than 120 student volunteers from Upstate are participating in various COVID-19-related efforts, said Simone Seward, director of Upstate’s Center for Civic Engagement, in an email statement to The Daily Orange.

Published on April 2, 2020 at 3:02 pm

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