A new poll shows over 50 percent of Democrats want Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be the Democratic Presidential nominee. Cuomo also said this is "the end of the beginning," in the battle with COVID-19.

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In the past 24 hours, 783 New Yorkers died from COVID-19, marking the second-highest one day total, according to Cuomo.

"These are staggering numbers," Cuomo said. "Behind this number are individuals and families, and untold loss and pain. We mourn all those who we lost to this vicious virus."

Cuomo said while the virus is stabilizing, it's "stabilizing at a horrific rate." 8,627 New Yorkers have now died from COVID-19.

Cuomo quoted Winston Churchill saying this is "the end of the beginning."

"I think that is a fair statement of where we are now," Cuomo said. "The game isn't over yet. Are we in the sixth inning? Are we at halftime? No one knows."

The curve of the COVID-19 apex appears to be at a plateau, Cuomo said at his daily COVID-19 briefing on Saturday. Fewer people are going to hospitals each day. The number of intubations are down minus 26.

"We believe we have hit the apex and the apex is a plateau," Cuomo said. "We are not out of the woods. We are still seeing new hospitalizations and new infections. But it is stabilizing. Social distancing is working. We must keep it up."

Cuomo noted reopening the economy is a question that impacts the economy and the public's health. He believes making money shouldn't be a factor when lives are at stake.

"I know we all want things to go back to normal," Cuomo said. "But the worst thing that can happen is that we make a misstep and we let our emotions get ahead of logic and facts, and we go through this all over again. When and how we reopen is both a public health and economic question. We must avoid a second wave of infection."

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A recent poll showed over 50 percent of Democrats want Cuomo to be the Democratic Presidential nominee. Cuomo said he isn't running for anything and emphasizes he's been working with President Donald Trump to fight COVID-19.

"I'm not running for President. I'm not running for Vice President, I'm staying right here. Not going to Washington to serve on the cabinet." Cuomo said. "This is the most important time for government in my life."

He called support for him to run for President "flattering" but "irrelevant."

This is no time for politics, Cuomo noted. It's time to only focus on what helps the nation. There are no political conspiracies, Cuomo added. All projections had higher numbers if New York didn't flatten the curve.

Cuomo said no decisions have been made on opening businesses or schools by May, like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said.

Cuomo added de Blasio’s announcement that all New York City schools won't open until the next school year is just “his opinion.”

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