NEW YORK, Feb.20 (Xinhua) – The COVID-19 positivity rate in New York State was 3.06% on Friday, the lowest since Nov. 23, from 3.49% the previous day, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.
Hospitalizations fell below 6,000 for the first time since Dec. 14 and hit 5,977, as the seven-day average positivity rate had fallen for 43 consecutive days, the governor added.
“Our ability to beat COVID depends entirely on our actions, and the drop in the positivity rate and hospitalizations after the holidays shows that New Yorkers are continuing to do what it takes to stay safe,” Mr. Cuomo in an official statement.
“As those numbers go down, vaccinations go up, and that means we’re making real progress towards the light at the end of the tunnel,” he continued, “We have the capacity and the distribution network for more people are vaccinated, but due to the limited supply, it will continue to feel more like a marathon than a sprint. “
Dangerous winter conditions delayed the distribution of six million doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week, the White House said on Friday, hampering vaccination campaigns just as they were starting to take off. The delayed doses represented a three-day supply, and this week’s winter storms slowed the arrival of vaccines to all 50 states.
On Saturday noon, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) reported 46,641 deaths in New York state, the second worst affected in the world. country after California, where 48,871 people have died from COVID-19.
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