Western New York has seen a recent surge in new COVID-19 cases, as the region's positivity rate spiked to 4.72 percent, ahead of the Hudson Valley's 4.34 percent from tests administered on Tuesday, April 6.
The infection rate in the Hudson Valley is down from 4.63 percent the previous day. The statewide positivity rate dropped from nearly 3.60 percent to 3.48 percent, according to the state.
Less than 1,000 newly confirmed COVID-19 infections were reported on Tuesday, though eight new deaths brought the total to nearly 4,500 since the pandemic began last year.
As of Wednesday, April 7, there were 514 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Hudson Valley, down slightly, representing 0.02 percent of the region's population and leaving 45 percent of the region's hospital beds still available.
The state was also reporting 384 of the region's 675 ICU beds as occupied by COVID-19 patients, leaving 43 percent available in case of another new surge of the virus.
A breakdown of new cases in each of the Hudson Valley's seven counties is as follows:
- Westchester: 346 new (122,412 total);
- Orange County: 195 (44,565);
- Dutchess: 123 (16,899);
- Rockland: 119 (44,565);
- Ulster County: 59 (12,437);
- Putnam: 49 (9,835);
- Sullivan: 49 (5,782);
- Total: 940 (265,433).
New deaths were also reported in:
- Rockland: 3 (728);
- Dutchess: 2 (428);
- Westchester: 1 (2,219 total);
- Orange: 1 (683);
- Putnam: 1 (91)
- Sullivan: 0 (67).
- Ulster: 0 (239);
- Total: 8 (4,456).
There were 221,674 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on Tuesday, April 6, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, resulting in 7,213 newly confirmed infections for a 3.25 percent positive infection rate, down more than a full percentage point from the day before.
Seven more COVID-19 patients were discharged from New York hospitals, leaving 4,526 still being treated statewide. There are 950 in ICU and 593 intubated.
There were 59 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
More than 34 percent of New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 21.7 percent are fully vaccinated. A total of 708,746 first doses have been administered to Hudson Valley residents, while 410,180 have completed the process.
"The war against COVID is not yet won and I encourage all New Yorkers to continue practicing the guidelines we know stop COVID in its tracks: wearing a mask, washing your hands, and social distancing," Cuomo said. "Our vaccine rates are a testament to what can be accomplished when we work together toward a common goal.
"We must all fight against complacency and do our best to keep each other and ourselves safe," he added. "To be New York Tough means to be united and loving and in that same spirit, let's protect our neighbors and communities by following the health guidance."
Statewide, a total of 1,909,964 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of more than 46.4 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 40,922 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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