[iheartthed]

^Can't read it because it's behind a paywall, but seems like they didn't consider the possibility that it had indeed been in NY for a longer period of time before being detected than was the case on the West Coast. Early on, testing criteria didn't allow people with symptoms to be tested unless they were known to have traveled to a hotspot overseas, or had contact with someone who had tested positive. It is possible (and likely) that the West Coast detected it very early, while New York detected it very late. If that is true then it explains why California got it under control early. It also might explain the difference in mortality rates...