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In the Hudson Valley, the average seven-day positivity rate rose again, from 4.62 percent on Monday, March 22, to 4.82 percent on Thursday, March 25, the highest in the state ahead of Long Island (4.34 percent) and New York City (4.18 percent).
Statewide, the infection rate held steady at 3.37 percent for the second straight day.
"Long Island and the Hudson Valley have been problematic," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a COVID-19 briefing this week. "Long Island has had a high positivity rate for a long time now and so has the Hudson Valley. So we're seeing that it's the actions and behavior of those communities that are impacting the numbers."
Two new virus-related deaths were reported in the Hudson Valley, bringing the total to 4,370, while 1,143 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported.
As of Friday, March 26, there were 558 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Hudson Valley, up slightly, representing 0.02 percent of the region's population and leaving 43 percent of the region's hospital beds still available.
The state was also reporting 407 of the region's 679 ICU beds as occupied by COVID-19 patients, leaving 41 percent available in case of another surge of the virus.
The state continues ramping up its COVID-19 vaccination program, with more than three million New Yorkers - more than 15 percent of the population - now vaccinated. Cuomo noted that 239,288 doses have been administered across the state's vast distribution network in the last 24 hours—a new record high—and more than 1 million doses have been administered over the past seven days.
In the Hudson Valley, 561,624 residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 269,942 fully vaccinated.
A breakdown of new cases in each of the Hudson Valley's seven counties is as follows:
- Westchester: 441 new (117,509 total);
- Orange County: 242 (42,067);
- Rockland: 185 (42,741);
- Dutchess: 118 (25,400);
- Ulster County: 63 (11,591);
- Putnam: 60 (9,278);
- Sullivan: 34 (5,370);
- Total: 1,143 (253,956).
New deaths were also reported in:
- Westchester: 1 (2,182 total);
- Dutchess: 1 (423);
- Rockland: 0 (712);
- Orange: 0 (664);
- Sullivan: 0 (64).
- Ulster: 0 (236);
- Putnam: 0 (89);
- Total: 2 (4,370).
There were 282,449 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on March 25, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, resulting in 8,507 new cases for a 3,01 percent positive infection rate, down slightly from the previous day.
Three more COVID-19 patients were admitted to New York hospitals, bringing the total to 4,603 still being treated statewide. There are 913 in ICU and 558 intubated.
There were 49 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
"New Yorkers have showed themselves and the country what it means to be New York Tough throughout this crisis," Cuomo said. "While we are moving at a faster pace than ever before to the light at the end of the tunnel, vigilance and continued practice of the guidelines we know stop COVID in its tracks are a crucial part of the effort to win this war.
"More and more New Yorkers are getting vaccinated every day, but must all continue to practice social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand washing. The light is getting brighter every day, but not without our continued dedication to ending COVID once and for all."
Statewide, a total of 1,818,344 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of more than 43.8 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 40,190 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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