‘MERCIFUL GOD RESCUE US.’ I’m not an alarmist; it so happened that I live here in Elmhurst, currently the No. 1 axis of COVID-19 bedlam in the world.

New York just became the coronavirus epicenter of the world as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the state surpassed China’s Hubei province, where the outbreak originated about three months ago.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state confirmed 9,298 new COVID-19 cases overnight, bringing the total to 75,795. According to Johns Hopkins University, China’s Hubei province has reported 67,801 confirmed cases since the virus emerged there in December.  With 43,139 confirmed cases, New York City accounts for more than half of all cases in New York state. 

"The situation here is unpredictable: only last night 332 more New Yokers perished. The daily number of new deaths has been growing at an average of 33 percent per day for the past week, and the death toll has tripled in four days. Nobody knows who is next. Asians, Hispanics, Africans, Caucasians. Many of them have died and cremated without saying goodbye to their loved ones" 

"Photo below shows some of the 400 patients waiting in line for their turn to be tested and treated in the embattled Elmhurst Hospital. Many of them, we were told, didn’t make it", he added.

If you have relatives in New York City, please constantly burn the lines of communications (Messenger, Twitter, text via mobile phone, Viber, atbp). Check their condition, show your love and compassion, bury whatever hatchet and forgive them for their past personal trespasses. ALEX VIDAL FB