NEW YORK _ More than 100 people died of coronavirus Saturday in New York state, a slight uptick from the day before, according to Gov. Cuomo.
The death toll of 109 marked an increase over the 84 fatalities recorded Friday _ the first time since late March that the count had dipped below 100.
"Number of deaths ticked up, which is terrible news, but the overall line is still good," Cuomo said Sunday at a press conference at Jones Beach Theatre in Nassau County, noting total hospitalizations were down.
He also repeated to deny responsibility for the devastating spread of the virus in New York City and beyond, saying, "What happened to us was no fault of our own.
"We did not have the facts when this started," he continued, saying the virus came to New York's region from Europe, before the feds banned travel from the continent.
The governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio _ along with President Trump _ have come under growing criticism for their long wait to impose lockdown measures.
Recent research found 17,500 fewer people would have died in the New York City metropolitan area had lockdown measures gone into effect just a week earlier.
