May arrived with more good news in the battle against COVID-19, as hospitalizations, intubations and the state’s positivity rate dropped to their lowest levels since November, officials said Saturday.
The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 dropped to 2,729 in New York on Friday, 108 fewer than the day before and the lowest level since Nov. 22, according to state figures. Also, the number of people in ICUs dropped to 658, the lowest level since Nov. 27, the figures showed.
New York also saw the lowest single-day positivity rate for the coronavirus — 1.6% — since Nov. 3, the figures showed.
“New York is beating back COVID every single day as more people take the vaccine and we continue to keep the positivity and hospitalization rates down,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. “The numbers are all trending in the right direction, and as a result we’re able to open the valves on our reopening even more and increase capacity for different industries.”
The state had 3,725 of 232,942 people tested show positive results for the virus, state figures said.
Twenty-five people died of COVID-19-related causes Friday, with one being in Suffolk, state figures said.
On Long Island, the seven-day average positivity rate for the coronavirus was 1.97% on Friday, compared with 2.08% on Wednesday and 2.05% on Thursday.
Nassau registered 232 new cases.
“I am happy to report that COVID-19 transmission is down, vaccinations are up, and Nassau County is on its way to victory over the virus,” said County Executive Laura Curran. “New cases in Nassau County have nose-dived, and the population testing positive continues to trend younger due to high vaccination rates among seniors.”
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Nassau County dropped to 197, compared to 1,300 one year ago, Curran said.
“The key difference between last year and this year is that today we have half the eligible population fully vaccinated, 53% of the total population with at least one vaccine dose, and 71% of adults with at least one vaccine dose,” she said. “Our goal in Nassau County is to get at least 75% of the total population vaccinated as fast as possible, and we will continue to work tirelessly to get shots into arms to achieve that objective.”
Suffolk had a total of 261 new cases Friday, according to state figures.
Cuomo also updated New Yorkers on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program Saturday.
A total of 159,863 doses have been administered across the state in the last 24 hours, and more than 1.2 million doses have been administered over the past seven days, he said.
“Our progress on vaccinations remains steady and strong — more than one in three New Yorkers are fully vaccinated and we’re administering over one million shots a week,” Cuomo said. “We’re nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have more ground to cover before we reach herd immunity. Until we get to that point we’re continuing to do everything in our power to ensure the vaccine distribution is equitable all across the state and to make clear to anyone who still feels hesitant that the vaccine is safe, effective and necessary to defeat COVID once and for all.”
All New York State mass vaccination sites are now open to eligible New Yorkers for walk-in vaccinations on a first-come, first-serve basis. The walk-in appointments are reserved for first doses only, with second doses to be scheduled automatically after administration of the initial shot.
People who would prefer to schedule an appointment at a state-run mass vaccination site can do so on the “Am I Eligible” app or by calling 1-833-NYS-4-VAX. People may also contact their local health department, pharmacy, doctor or hospital to schedule appointments where vaccines are available, or visit vaccinefinder.org to find information on vaccine appointments near them.
On Long Island, 1.17 million people had received at least one dose of the vaccine by Friday, an increase of 16,122 from the prior day, state figured showed.
A total of 859,168 people on Long Island had received both shots by Friday, a bump of 19,762 over the day before, figures showed.
“This is all great news, but now is not the time to let our guard down,” Cuomo said. “COVID is still a very real threat, and I urge everyone to stay vigilant and keep practicing the behaviors we know slow the spread of the virus.”
Sign up for COVID-19 text alerts at newsday.com/text.
