More than 100 hospitals in New York were recently asked to find out where their COVID-19 patients were staying before they were admitted, and the findings are "shocking," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. NBC News reports that 66% of the patients came from their own homes, where they spent their time "predominantly" quarantining and not venturing out. "This is a surprise," Cuomo said at a briefing, noting he would've expected essential workers to be the ones making up the bulk of the sick. As for where the other patients came from, data from the 113 hospitals, gathered over a recent three-day period, showed 18% emerged from nursing homes and 4% from assisted living facilities.
The homeless made up 2% of patients, while 2% came from "congregate" sites and fewer than 1% arose from the prison population; 8% were simply listed as "other." The survey also noted that most of the state's coronavirus patients were older and people of color, with 75% of them hailing from either New York City or Long Island, per NBC New York. The vast majority of those in the NYC area haven't been driving, taking mass transit, or even going for walks, Cuomo said. Most were also either retired or unemployed. Ultimately, the governor noted, much of the onus for staying healthy lies with individuals, who should be wearing masks, cleaning their hands, and keeping clear of more vulnerable people. "Government has done everything it could," he said. "Society has done everything it could. Now it's up to you." (More coronavirus stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
