New York State reported on Friday that just over 21,000 people had tested positive for COVID-19 the day before, the highest single-day new cases since testing for the virus became widespread. .
“The winter surge in COVID-19 cases is a reminder that the pandemic is not over yet and that we must take special care to keep ourselves and others safe,” said Governor Kathy Hochul.
“The vaccine remains our best weapon to defeat the virus and ensure that we are safe from serious diseases. Get the vaccine if you have not already done it and the booster if you have, put on the mask and wash your hands,” added the governor.
Statistics about the virus in a single day may be an unreliable way to measure trends, but the new record has marked a steady increase that began in the western part of the state in late October and has skyrocketed in the city of New York in the last week.
Slightly less than half of the positive results came in the city, where queues grew at checkpoints and some Broadway shows and the Rockettes Christmas show canceled their performances due to outbreaks among cast members.
#COVID Update:
-263,536 Test Results Reported
-21,027 Positives
-7.98% Positive
-3,839 Hospitalizations (+74)
-60 new deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS pic.twitter.com/T7ZUVApRGD— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 17, 2021
The sharp rise in infections should be very concerning, but it was inevitable given the rapid spread of the omicron variant, said Dr. Denis Nash, executive director of the University’s Institute for the Science of Implementation in Population Health. of New York City.
“We were already heading into a winter surge with the delta, which is a very worrying thing in and of itself,” Nash said.
“But then the new omicron variant is added, which is more transmissible from an infection point of view,” he said, noting that current vaccines may be unable to contain the new “more invasive” variant.
Nearly 10,300 of the positive tests reported by the state were performed in the city, which is comparable to its percentage of the state’s population.
Statewide, New York averaged 13,257 positive tests per day during the seven-day period ending Thursday. This represents an increase of 71% compared to two weeks ago.
The previous maximum of a day of positive tests in the state occurred on January 14, 2021, when just under 20,000 people tested positive.
This Holidays, Protect Yourself and Others – Get COVID19 Vaccine / Booster, Wear Mask, and Get Tested: https://t.co/QpByLomUhb pic.twitter.com/B5J5IyHlzA
– New York City (@nycgob) December 17, 2021
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