New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Coronavirus is not ‘flu on steroids’

“She doesn’t need a hospital. And that is the point here. Somebody used the expression ‘this is like the flu on steroids.’ OK?” Cuomo said. “Eighty percent of the people, when infected with the coronavirus, will self-treat and self-resolve. They’ll think they have the flu because it’s the same type of systems.”

He continued, “About 20% will get ill, and again, as the mayor said, I’ve said, everyone on this table has said, the people who are in ‘danger,’ the most danger [are] immune-compromised, debilitated people, senior citizens, like the normal flu.”

Children do not appear to be as vulnerable to COVID-19, according to Cuomo, who said the city remains focused on protecting older residents and those with underlying medical issues.

“The case that tested positive should be an affirmation,” Cuomo said. “She’s positive, and she’s home because she doesn’t need to be in a hospital.”

The United States saw a spike in coronavirus cases over the weekend, and two patients have died in Washington state. Globally, more than 89,000 people have been infected with the virus and more than 3,000 people have died, mostly in mainland China.

Other countries have been facing much larger outbreaks of the disease, including Italy, Iran, South Korea, and China. All four of these nations have been placed under a travel advisory or a travel ban by the Trump administration. The woman infected in New York City had recently traveled to Iran, which is believed to be the source of her contact with the virus.