NEW YORK — The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in New York continues to increase, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

New York now has a total of 173 cases in the state: There are 108 cases in Westchester County, 36 cases in New York City, 19 cases in Nassau County, six cases in Rockland County, two in Saratoga, one in Suffolk County and one in Ulster County, according to Cuomo.

Gov. Cuomo announced the National Guard will be deployed to New Rochelle, the area with the largest cluster of confirmed cases.

The New York City Health Department noted that the city has 24 residents who have tested positive for the illness, up from 19 on Monday.

Cuomo reiterated the fact that most people will recover on their own, but “the vulnerable populations should be taking precaution.”

New York had the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the United States as of Monday, but the state is now the second most impacted state as of Tuesday afternoon, with Washington at 179 confirmed cases in the state.

The vast majority of the state’s coronavirus cases are connected to Westchester County, which Cuomo calls a “very intense cluster.”

There are over 116,000 confirmed cases worldwide, with over 4,000 deaths. Over 64,000 people infected with COVID-19 have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats.

During the week of February 23, CDC reported community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 in California (in two places), Oregon and Washington. Community spread in Washington resulted in the first death in the United States from COVID-19, as well as the first reported case of COVID-19 in a health care worker, and the first potential outbreak in a long-term care facility.

The CDC affirms that there are ongoing investigations to learn more. This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available.

How will the coronavirus impact my community?

More cases of the coronavirus are likely to be identified in the coming days, according to the CDC. That includes a rapid increase in cases in the United States. It’s also likely that person-to-person spread will continue to occur, including in communities in the United States. It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of the coronavirus in the United States will occur.

Widespread transmission of the coronavirus would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time. Schools, childcare centers, workplaces, and other places for mass gatherings may experience more absenteeism. Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and transportation industry may also be affected. Health care providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against the coronavirus and no medications approved to treat it. Nonpharmaceutical interventions would be the most important response strategy.

The last several weeks have witnessed a series of riveting coverage for what has become a global pandemic. Your Content has followed the vital topics from readers throughout the nation, who provide us with first-hand content by the hour. Among our recent revelations: 

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