Nearly three out of every four Long Island adults — more than 1.7 million in total — have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to New York State Health Department data.
The data shows Long Island far surpassing vaccination rates both statewide and nationally.
Nassau has vaccinated 885,924 residents 18 and older or 78.8% of their adult population, the data shows.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County, which has a slightly higher population than their neighbor to the west, lags slightly behind with 870,920 residents 18 and older receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, constituting 71.4% of its adult population.
Long Island’s 74.9% vaccination rate among adults is considerably better than New York State’s 68.9% and 65.7% nationally, according to state and federal figures.
More than 68% of Long Islanders have completed their vaccination series, compared to nearly 63% statewide and more than 56% nationally.
“We’ve come a long way, and Nassau residents should draw pride from what we’ve achieved together,” said County Executive Laura Curran. “Nassau County’s high vaccination rate gives us the freedom to safely live, work, and play as we see fit. Our high vaccination rate also means countless lives saved and economic revitalization.”
The vaccination rates on Long Island — following trends elsewhere across the state and the nation — drop considerably when factoring in children ages 12 to 17 who are eligible for shots.
Less than 62% of the island’s total eligible population have received their first dose — 65.2% in Nassau and 58.8% in Suffolk — although those numbers continue to exceed state and national rates, according to Health Department data.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 positivity rates across the state continued to remain at among the lowest levels of the pandemic.
Thursday’s statewide positivity rate was 0.36% — identical to the state’s 7-day average — with 343 residents testing positive, according to Health Department data. A total of 415 patients are hospitalized with COVID statewide while 94 are in the intensive care unit, the fewest since the pandemic began.
Long Island also reported a 0.36% infection rate, with 27 new cases in Nassau and 18 in Suffolk, the data shows.
There were five deaths from coronavirus statewide Thursday, none on Long Island.
“We have come far in our fight against COVID, and thanks to the sacrifices of our essential workers and all New Yorkers who came together to flatten the curve, our metrics continue to show a promising outlook,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. “The best weapon that we have to fully defeat this virus is the vaccine, which is why we continue to work with our partners across the state to get more shots into people’s arms and to make sure the vaccine is accessible in every community.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he expected the face mask mandate to stay in place in the city public schools, but that he wouldn’t be surprised if federal and state officials drop that in-school rule this summer.
Speaking Friday in his weekly WNYC radio appearance, de Blasio said the city had done 1.5 million tests in the schools — with an infection rate of 0.03%. De Blasio called the virus “almost nonexistent” in the schools.
With Matthew Chayes
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