ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's ongoing battle against the coronavirus continues to strike a grim tone as the death toll reaches the highest point over a 24-hour period for the fourth straight day.

During his daily press briefing in Albany, Governor Andrew Cuomo says while the hospitalization rate is coming down, the loss of life is devastating.

According to the latest data, 799 state residents died from the virus from Wednesday to Thursday.

In total, the crisis has caused 7,067 deaths in New York State. 

According to nyc.gov, 518 city residents died of the virus from Wednesday to Thursday. A total of 4,778 city residents have now died of the virus.

A total of 87,725 people in New York City have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data from nyc.gov. That's an increase of 7,521 from Wednesday.

159,937 New York State residents have tested positive for the coronavirus.

 

"We lose many more New Yorkers to this silent killer," Cuomo said while comparing the loss of life to the September 11th attacks.

Cuomo says there was a 200 net increase in hospitalizations - the lowest number since the outbreak began - and a change in ICU admissions showing they're the lowest since roughly March 19.

As of Thursday, Cuomo said the state has a roughly 90,000-bed capacity. 

The governor says data continues to suggest a flattening of the curve and is a direct result of people following and abiding by the statewide PAUSE policies.

"New Yorkers are acting responsibly," Cuomo said.

He again warned New Yorkers not to take their foot off the gas when it comes to maintaining social distancing efforts and health precautions like regular handwashing.

The governor says the damages from the coronavirus will keep coming and are wide ranging, from the health care system to the city and state's economy..

"We have pushed people to the max, we have pushed facilities to the max," Cuomo said.

When it comes to unemployment, Cuomo again acknowledged the frustrations many are experiencing trying to submit their claims with the state and cited "unanticipated consequences" due to the sheer volume.

The governor says 1,000 people are now working to process applications and the state Department of Labor is working with Google to bypass phone certification - a final step that has been a major roadblock for those filing.

Cuomo acknowledged the anxiety caused by this but noted benefits - once processed - are retroactive.

The state Department of Labor says the system will be down for a period of time Thursday until 7 p.m. to roll out the streamlining update.