New York State and Long Island marked another day of gains in bringing COVID-19 under control, with indicators not seen since November before a holiday season surge, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday during a visit to the region.
But he warned that the battle is far from over. As a sober reminder, another 45 people in the state died Wednesday of coronavirus-related causes.
The state registered a 2.06% positivity level in daily test results from Wednesday, the lowest figure since Nov. 5, Cuomo said at a news briefing in East Rockaway.
“Yes, we are making progress. Yes, the vaccinations are going to win the war. But we’re not there yet,” Cuomo said. “People are still dying from COVID.”
The statewide seven-day average of positivity for the virus was 2.5%, the lowest since Nov. 10, while the figure on Long Island was 2.76%, also the lowest since Nov. 10.
For weeks the positivity level on Long Island had hovered around or above 4%, seeing a substantial decline over the last week or so. Long Island had a total of 540 COVID-19 patients in hospitals on Wednesday, the lowest figure since Nov. 30. Cuomo said.
On Wednesday he announced that, starting Friday, New Yorkers 60 or older will be able to walk into some state-run mass vaccination sites, without an appointment, and get their shots.
The 16 sites accepting walk-ins include SUNY Old Westbury, Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, the Javits Center, Yankee Stadium, York College in Jamaica, Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, and the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park.
Check back for updates on this developing story. Sign up for COVID-19 text alerts at newsday.com/text.
