45°
In Suffolk, 552 new infections were confirmed, bringing the total in the county to 167,049 since the pandemic began last year. Nassau reported 453 new cases, as the total hit 153,099.
The average seven-day infection rate of those tested for COVID-19 rose from 4.19 percent on Friday, March 5 to 4.28 percent on Sunday, March 7, the highest percentage in New York State.
As of Monday, March 8, there were 818 COVID-19 patients - down from 885 late last week - hospitalized on Long Island, representing 0.03 percent of the region's population and leaving 35 percent of hospital beds still available.
The state was also reporting 849 of Long Island's 865 ICU beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, leaving 24 percent available in case of another surge of the virus.
If Long Island - or any of the state's nine other regions - finds itself in danger of hitting its 90 percent hospital capacity rate within three weeks, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed to shut down the entire region.
The latest breakdown of the communities with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nassau, according to the most recent data provided by the county Department of Health on March 8:
- Levittown: 4,174
- Hicksville: 3,397;
- Freeport: 3,341;
- Hempstead: 3,339;
- East Meadow: 2,965;
- Valley Stream: 2,968;
- Oceanside: 2,571;
- Elmont: 2,556;
- Long Beach: 2,542;
- Franklin Square: 2,461;
- Glen Cove: 2,361;
- Uniondale: 2,198;
- Massapequa: 1,859;
- Rockville Centre: 1,818;
- Baldwin: 1,671;
- Woodmere: 1,644;
- Plainview: 1,584;
- West Hempstead: 1,563
- Wantagh: 1,561;
- North Bellmore: 1,557;
- North Massapequa: 1,531;
- Lynbrook: 1,498;
- Mineola: 1,479;
- Garden City: 1,429;
- Massapequa Park: 1,425;
- East Massapequa: 1,422;
- Merrick: 1,415;
- Seaford: 1,389;
- Bethpage: 1,339.
The breakdown of cases reported in Suffolk County, according to the Department of Health:
- Brookhaven: 46,796;
- Islip: 41,263;
- Babylon: 23,223;
- Huntington: 18,929;
- Smithtown: 11,656;
- Southampton: 4,926;
- Riverhead: 3,120;
- Southold: 1,483;
- East Hampton: 1,461;
- Shelter Island: 47.
There were 146,456 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on March 7 according to Cuomo, resulting in 5,309 new cases for a 3.62 percent positive infection rate, up from the beginning of the weekend.
Forty-one new COVID-19 patients were admitted into New York hospitals, leaving 4,830 still being treated statewide. There are 1,005 in ICU and 669 intubated.
"The hospitalization and infection rates in New York are declining every day, and New York is now in the middle of a long-awaited reopening," Cuomo said. "As we continue re-opening the valves on our economy and increasing the numbers of shots in arms, we have never been closer to winning this war, but we must remain vigilant.
"New Yorkers know the practices that will keep themselves and each other safe - washing hands, social distancing, and masking up."
"The decline in numbers is in large part a result of our collective actions and together we will work toward seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."
There were 64 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
Cuomo made note that 89 percent of the first COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated to New York have been administered as of 11 a.m. on March 8.
A total of 4,2227,090 first doses have been received, with 3,746,905 administered. New York has received 6,541,110 first and second doses, with 5,640,706 administered.
Statewide, a total of 1,686,478 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of nearly 40 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 39,093 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Nassau and receive free news updates.
