The seven-day rate of New Yorkers testing positive for the coronavirus fell to its lowest level since the pandemic began, as COVID-19 hospitalizations also continued to drop and not a single death from the disease was reported on Friday on Long Island, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office said Saturday.
The seven-day rate fell to 0.73%, the state reported. The previous seven-day low had been 0.75% in late August. The one-day rate, which on Thursday reached a record low of 0.57%, rose slightly to 0.62%. Health officials typically focus on the seven-day rate, because it smooths out daily anomalies.
“Our numbers have been trending in the right direction — reaching a record low since the start of this pandemic — and they continue to do so because of what the people of this state have done,” Cuomo said in a statement. “I encourage those who haven’t yet received their vaccination to take advantage of ongoing incentive programs and do so. The vaccine is the best defense we have against COVID and now is the best time to do what needs to be done to protect our communities.”
Experts have attributed the decline to the steadily increasing number of New Yorkers who are getting vaccinated. As of Friday morning, nearly 65% of all state residents 18 and older had received at least one vaccine dose, and about 56% were fully vaccinated. New vaccination numbers are expected later Saturday.
Twelve people statewide died of COVID-19 on Friday, but no one from Nassau or Suffolk counties. There were 1,143 hospitalizations, 26 fewer than the previous day.
On Long Island, the seven-day positivity rate dropped on Friday to 0.62%, down from 0.64% on Thursday.
Statewide, 870 test results came back as positive on Friday, out of 140,392 results. That included 37 in Nassau and 60.
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