Long Island’s coronavirus positivity rate continues to creep back up amid a rise of the highly contagious delta variant strain, as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday that COVID-19 “is now mainly a pandemic among the unvaccinated.”
The daily COVID-19 positivity rate on Long Island Sunday was 2.3%, more than double that of one week earlier, when the daily rate was 1.1% on July 11, and up 283% from July 1 when the daily rate was 0.6%, according to state Department of Health data.
It was the highest daily positivity level since the Island registered a rate of 2.6% in daily tests for April 25.
The steadily increasing positivity rate comes during a continuing slowdown in vaccination rates and with the closing of mass statewide vaccination locations, including Monday’s shuttering of the Jones Beach site, once one of Long Island’s busiest.
Nassau County reported 99 new cases Sunday while Suffolk had 88, the figures show.
Statewide, the daily positivity rate Sunday was 1.18%, while the seven-day average was 1.26%. A total of 378 New Yorkers are now hospitalized with COVID and three residents, including one in Suffolk, died from the virus Sunday.
“After over a year of containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now being told that COVID is now mainly a pandemic among the unvaccinated,” Cuomo said in a statement. “If you haven’t already, I encourage you to get your shot to best protect yourself and your loved ones against the variants spreading through the nation.”
The state Department of Health has not responded to requests for data on the number of new COVID-19 cases on Long Island linked to the delta variant or on “breakthrough” infections among the vaccinated.
Dr. Dave Chokshi, New York City’s health commissioner, said the delta variant now comprises 69% of new COVID-19 cases in the five boroughs.
The mass vaccination site at Jones Beach, once one of the most in-demand locations for shots in the state, was shutting down Monday amid dwindling use of the facility and a shifting focus on the vaccine campaign.
Cuomo has said that the state is de-emphasizing large state-run vaccine sites — a similar facility at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood was also recently shuttered — in favor of a strategy that targets communities that have lower vaccination rates.
At its peak, Jones Beach was vaccinating nearly 2,300 per day in late February. In recent weeks, that figure has dropped to less than 300 daily.
Statewide, vaccinations continue to slow down. Less than 23,000 doses were administered Sunday, the third lowest amount since the vaccines became widely available. Just under 74% of New York adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. That number falls to 61.7% when including the entire eligible population, adding children ages 12 to 17.
Nassau continues to lead the state in vaccinations among large counties, with 81% of adults and 67.4% of all eligible residents receiving at least one dose, according to Health Department data.
“Nassau County continues to set the pace with our vaccination campaign,” said County Executive Laura Curran in a statement. “With more contagious variants of the virus spreading, we must remain focused on getting shots into arms.”
Suffolk County’s vaccination numbers largely mirror statewide figures, with 73.7% of adults, and 61% of all eligible residents, getting at least one dose.
Pediatricians: Universal masking in schools
The nation’s largest pediatrician group recommended Monday that masks be mandatory in all classrooms — even for vaccinated students and teachers — when schools reopen in the fall.
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ interim guidance said universal masking is necessary because students ages 11 and younger are not yet eligible for the vaccine and widespread use of face coverings will reduce the burden on teachers and faculty to verify vaccination status.
“Universal use of face masks is recommended, given that certain teachers must cross over to multiple classes, such as specials teachers, special educators, and secondary school teachers, and in consideration of new SARS-CoV-2 variants,” the guidance states. “At this time, this recommendation for use of face masks includes staff and educators who have been fully vaccinated, especially for teachers with students who are unvaccinated.”
But the Academy discouraged a reliance on remote learning, adding that the “benefits of in-person school outweighs the risks in almost all circumstances.”
In New York City, masks are still required in public schools, but Mayor Bill de Blasio rejected calls by some Democratic colleagues to return to a mask mandate in all indoor locations. He argued that his administration will instead prioritize vaccinations.
“Masks have value unquestionably,” de Blasio said. “But masks are not going at the root of the problem. Vaccination is. So we don’t intend for mask mandates. We do intend to double down on vaccination … This is where we make a difference.”
In total, 4.9 million New York City residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly 4.5 million are fully vaccinated, according to State Health Department data.
Chokshi said masks are also still required on subways and in hospitals.
“But our concern primarily is for people who remain unvaccinated, which is why the single most important thing that we can do to keep individuals, as well as our communities and cities, safe is to get as many people vaccinated as possible,” he said.
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