The number of new coronavirus cases continues to slowly climb in New York, as the virus surges across the country and around the world.
New York State yesterday reported a positivity rate of 2.2% statewide in testing done Friday, Nov. 6. That’s the highest statewide positivity rate since June 1, when it was 2.5%. Since June 1, testing has ramped up significantly in New York, as tests became more widely available across the state. The state reported 153,291 tests on Friday, compared to just 54,054 on June 1, so the 2.5% rate reflects a raw number that was nearly triple the number five months ago — 3,587 versus 1,329.
The Long Island region had a 2.5% positivity rate — 2.5% in Suffolk County and 2.4% in Nassau.
In Suffolk, there were 259 new cases reported, including 11 new cases in Riverhead Town, where 38 new cases were reported since Nov. 1.
There were nine new COVID-19 hospital admissions in Suffolk on Friday, according to Suffolk health department data. Eight people where discharged from hospitals. A total of 59 people were hospitalized for the disease, an increase of two in 24 hours. Ten patients were in intensive care units.
Statewide, there were 213 new hospital admissions, for a total of 1,391 hospitalizations, an increase of 60 ini 24 hours. There were 18 new deaths reported. There have been 25,928 COVID-19 fatalities in New York since the outbreak began, according to the state health department; 80,494 people have recovered from the disease.
Yesterday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the numbers are “warning flags.”
“The challenge for our state has been to manage the increase and try to ensure the spikes in other states don’t impact us too much,” the governor said. The state’s approach to managing the increase is “the most aggressive testing in the country” and its “micro-cluster strategy” with targeted, increased enforcement and restrictions when health officials identify small clusters of community spread, the governor said.
“As we head into winter months, it’s going to take the work of all New Yorkers to ensure we don’t go back to where we were this spring,” Cuomo said. “COVID fatigue” is real, he said, urging New Yorkers to continue to “stay vigilant,” about following health guidelines including wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining social distance.
Nationwide, there were 128,396 new confirmed COVID-19 cases yesterday, 55,817 hospitalizations and 1,097 new deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project. There have been nearly 9.6 million confirmed cases in the U.S. since Jan. 21, according to the CDC; 3.9 million people have recovered. The CDC reports 234,264 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. as of Nov. 6.
There have been nearly 50 million confirmed coronavirus infections and 1.3 million deaths globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has had more cases and deaths from the virus than any of the 190 countries whose data is reported and analyzed by Johns Hopkins University researchers.
Models developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent health research center at the University of Washington, project COVID deaths in the U.S. will reach between 372,000 and 428,000 by Feb. 1 if current mandates and current mask-wearing levels continue. If mandates are eased, IHME says U.S. deaths will reach between 429,572 and 622,962 by Feb. 1.
The IMHE model currently projects between 33,787 and 37,490 total deaths in New York State by Feb. 1, if existing mandates and mask compliance are not eased.
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