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Tracking COVID-19 in New York

Daily cases & positivity rate

Suffolk
Updated Jun. 2, 3:10 pm
On Jun. 1 7-day average 7-day average: Change over previous week
New cases 47 42 -2.63%
Positivity rate 8.76% 5.19% +18%
Data from the New York State Department of Health.
Each day includes new cases reported since the previous day.

Nassau
Updated Jun. 2, 3:10 pm
On Jun. 1 7-day average 7-day average: Change over previous week
New cases 49 41 +3.57%
Positivity rate 5.59% 5.78% +25%
Data from the New York State Department of Health.
Each day includes new cases reported since the previous day.

New York City
Updated Jun. 2, 3:10 pm
On Jun. 1 7-day average 7-day average: Change over previous week
New cases 280 193 0.82%
Positivity rate 4.60% 3.88% +36%
Data from the New York State Department of Health.
Each day includes new cases reported since the previous day.

New York
Updated Jun. 2, 3:10 pm
On Jun. 1 7-day average 7-day average: Change over previous week
New cases 546 418 -4.16%
Positivity rate 4.89% 4.32% +22%
Data from the New York State Department of Health.
Each day includes new cases reported since the previous day.
 

Latest news

As long as a health care facility is located in a county where COVID-19 community transmission levels are not high, health care facilities may eliminate mask requirements, according to the new state guidance, which follows guidance already established by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Full story.
The most contagious COVID-19 variant yet is rapidly spreading in the U.S., especially in the Northeast. It is already responsible for more than 70% of new confirmed cases in NY, where case numbers have been climbing. Full story.
woman-wears-mask-while-grocery-shopping
The COVID-19 community transmission level is high in Suffolk County (314.98 cases per 100,000 population). People should wear masks in indoor public places, the CDC recommends. Full story.
Update December 18, 4:00 pm
Denise Civiletti

Free COVID home-tests are available again from the federal government. Every household can receive four free tests. Order tests here.

Tests will begin shipping tomorrow.

The federal government delivered about 600 million tests before it suspended the program in September. The program is being restarted due to a rise in COVID cases nationwide.

Editorial: Nasty respiratory viruses, multiple strains of the flu, and the coronavirus are making a lot of people ill. If you're sick, keep your germs to yourself. If you must go out, please wear a mask. Full story.
People are urged to stay up-to-date on vaccines, wash their hands often, sneeze or cough into their elbows—not hands, stay home when sick or symptomatic, and wear well-fitting, high-quality masks when in public indoor spaces. Full story.
The updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters are designed to add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants and bolster previous vaccination protection. They shots are available locally at Walgreens pharmacies and Costco. Full story.
When school doors open and buses roll on Tuesday, students and teachers will be returning to classrooms in an environment that feels a lot more "normal" than at any time since the novel coronavirus struck New York, shuttering schools and business in the spring of 2020. Full story.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its public health guidance for COVID-19, recommending that people exposed to the virus should not immediately quarantine, but instead wear a “high-quality” mask for 10 days and get tested on the fifth day after exposure. Full story.
Riverhead's second $1.7 million installment of COVID-19 relief will mostly be spent on water district infrastructure, with a substantial amount on downtown surveillance cameras. Full story.
The State Department of Health today announced its recommendation that children ages 5 to 11 should receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster five months after completing their initial two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine series. Full story.
Forty-five New York counties, including Suffolk and Nassau, have high community levels of COVID-19, triggering recommendations for masking in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status. Full story.
Federal regulators yesterday authorized a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people age 50 and over. Full story.
The State Health Department conformed its presentation of data and information to Cuomo's 'narrative,' concealing deaths of 4,100 nursing home residents as governor came under increased scrutiny, a State Comptroller's audit finds. Full story.
Masks will be optional in Riverhead schools starting Wednesday, following the unanimous vote by the board of education Monday night to remove the mask requirement from the school district's 2021-2022 reopening plan. Full story.
Gov. Kathy Hochul today lifted the state’s controversial universal mask mandate for K-12 schools, effective Wednesday, March 2. Full story.
The Town of Riverhead will offer free at-home COVID-19 testing kits to residents throughout next week at Town Hall and at the Riverhead Senior Center.  Full story.
The Elevations Clinic Treatment Program will provide medical services, including medication prescriptions and management, antipsychotic injectables, smoking cessation treatment and mental health monitoring, and therapeutic services, including psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and an early intervention program for those with and at risk of developing substance use disorders. Full story.
The Town of Riverhead will distribute 1,200 free rapid COVID-19 test kits to residents on Tuesday at the Town Hall reception desk and at the Riverhead Senior Center in Aquebogue from 12-4 p.m.. There are two tests per kit. Full story.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced today New York State’s mask mandate will end tomorrow for most indoor public spaces, citing a declining number of cases in the state after a record-setting winter surge of the virus. A separate mask mandate will continue in schools until after the winter break. Full story.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to announce the end of New York’s indoor mask mandate at a briefing this morning. But a decision on mandatory masking in schools will be delayed until after the winter break. The current school mandate is set to expire in two weeks. Full story.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be available at a clinic in the Riverhead Free Library on Feb. 23 from 1-5 p.m. for people age 5 and over. Full story.
A State Appellate Division panel this afternoon granted a stay of the Nassau County court decision last week that invalidated New York's statewide mask mandate. Full story.
New York State’s mask mandate for indoor public spaces has been extended until Feb. 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced during a storm... Full story.
More than 50 people protested outside of Riverhead High School today against the New York State’s school indoor mask mandate and against the school district’s alleged punishing of students who refuse to comply with the mandate. Full story.
After a hearing this afternoon, Justice Robert Miller, an Appellate Division judge, granted a motion for stay filed by N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James. The ruling allows the mask mandate to temporarily remain in effect. The judge scheduled another hearing for Friday. Full story.
Following a State Education Department advisory last night to school districts saying they should keep mask mandates in place, the Riverhead Central School District informed families the district's mask requirement will continue. The decision drew a protest demonstration outside the district office this afternoon. Full story.
The Dec. 10 "emergency rule" requiring masks in public places was made without legal authority, the court ruled, issuing a permanent injunction. The state immediately filed notice of appeal, which prevents enforcement of the court's decision. Full story.
For the first time since just before Christmas, the COVID-19 test positivity rate in New York has fallen below 10%. It's just over 11% in Suffolk. Full story.
Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio and Sheriff Errol Toulon are offering free COVID-19 test kits and N95 masks to the community Saturday morning. Full story.
Update January 18, 3:36 pm
Denise Civiletti

The Postal Service website for ordering free COVID-19 rapid tests is now live.

The USPS is delivering one shipment of four COVID tests per residential address. Enter your name, address and email at www.usps.com/covidtest to request a shipment.

New lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Suffolk — and statewide — continue to decline. The 7-day average of daily new cases in Suffolk fell from 5,661 on Jan. 7 to 5,217 on Jan. 11, a 7.9% drop. Suffolk’s one-day record for the number of new lab-confirmed cases since the pandemic began hit 6,992 on Jan. 7. Yesterday, Suffolk reported 3,942 positive cases on Jan. 11. Full story.
New confirmed cases of COVID-19 have declined statewide over the past two days and health officials are hoping it’s the beginning of a trend. In Suffolk, new cases Jan. 9-10 were roughly half of daily numbers in the days prior. Full story.
Unlike previous variants, omicron replicates in the the upper, rather than the lower, respiratory tract, which makes it more contagious — but also less severe, the World Health Organization's COVID-19 technical lead said in a briefing yesterday.. Full story.
Update January 8, 7:50 am
Denise Civiletti

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that adolescents age 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.


“Data show that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen protection against omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants,” the CDC said.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed the available safety data following the administration of over 25 million vaccine doses in adolescents and found COVID-19 vaccines to be safe and effective, the CDC said.


At this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 12-17.


For more information, visit the CDC’s website.

Health care workers in New York State will be required to take a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot when they are eligible, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced today. Full story.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York are increasing fastest among children — and by the largest numbers in the downstate region, according to a report released today by the New York State Department of Health. Full story.
A federal lawsuit brought by the operators of more than 250 nursing homes in New York seeks to set aside a new state law that limits their profits and mandates minimum spending on direct care expenses. Full story.
Superintendent Augustine Tornatore said 25% of the student population and 22% of the district’s staff did not attend school the last three days, a number which he attributed primarily to COVID cases, isolations and those waiting for test results.  Full story.
Update January 5, 12:38 pm
Alek Lewis

A state-run COVID-19 PCR testing site will open at Stony Brook University starting Friday. The site will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and administer approximately 225 tests by appointment and 50 tests by walk-in per day. Appointments are available starting next week and can be made by visiting this link: https://bit.ly/3eWlyKK

Suffolk County has recorded record-breaking new cases every day since Dec. 22, when the 3,268 new confirmed cases outstripped the previous high of 2,194 recorded on Jan. 6, 2021, the peak of last winter’s surge. Full story.
The COVID-19 winter surge, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, was entirely predictable, so why is there such chaos in testing for the virus right now, when it matters most? Full story.
With COVID-19 infections surging to new heights every day, Gov. Kathy Hochul rolled out updated strategies for controlling the virus in New York, where new cases have increased to 271 per 100,000. Full story.
With COVID-19 cases rising across the region, Northwell Health has temporarily suspended all visitation at some of its hospitals, including Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. Full story.
Meetings of the Riverhead Town board after Jan. 4 will be held virtually because of the recent surge in coronavirus cases, Supervisor... Full story.
Rep. Lee Zeldin and a number of New York State Republican officials today criticized the Hochul administration’s pandemic response, which Zeldin said has exhibited “utter incompetence.” Full story.
According to the State Health Department, 4,577 new COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday in Suffolk County. The previous one-day high was 2,194 reported on Jan. 6. Full story.
The CDC yesterday shortened its recommended isolation time for asymptomatic people who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to 5 days. It also said asymptomatic people who have been exposed to COVID-19 who are fully vaccinated and have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. Full story.
Tests are available by appointment only beginning Dec. 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Full story.
Update December 27, 8:00 am
RiverheadLOCAL

Local surge: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Town of Riverhead for the week ending Dec. 24 (215) was roughly equal to the number of confirmed cases in the town during the entire month of November (217).

Data source: Suffolk County Department of Health Services

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