The New York Times reports that there are typically about 6,000 deaths in New York City between March 11 and April 25 in any year, but during that same time period in 2020 there were about 27,000 deaths in the city.
New York City officials have been counting “confirmed” COVID-19 deaths for those who tested positive as well as “probable” COVID-19 deaths. Some have wondered whether counting “probable” deaths has yielded an inflated number, but the Times notes that the total number of confirmed and probable deaths—16,673—is significantly below the 21,000 “excess deaths” the city experienced from mid-March to late-April.
This chart is jaw-dropping:
Latest NYC mortality data shows deaths reaching 6x normal levels, exceeding the official coronavirus death count by more than 4,000 people. @sangerkatz https://t.co/isAEJ1GPnM pic.twitter.com/cdrNITTDrO
— Josh Katz (@jshkatz) April 27, 2020