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Eight new virus-related deaths were reported in the Hudson Valley as the COVID-19 death toll in the region approaches 4,500 since last year.
For the second straight day, the Hudson Valley saw a sharp decline in its positive COVID-19 infection rate, from 4.60 percent earlier this week to 4.03 percent on Thursday, April 8 out of thousands of tests administered.
Statewide, the COVID-19 infection rate continues dropping, from 3.6 percent earlier this week to 3.37 percent on April 8.
More than 1,000 newly confirmed COVID-19 infections were reported on Thursday.
As of Friday, April 9, there were 493 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 417 of the region's 679 ICU beds as occupied by COVID-19 patients, up slightly, leaving 42 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: 423 new (123,203 total);
- Rockland: 181 (44,823);
- Dutchess: 110 (27,142);
- Orange County: 218 (44,911);
- Ulster County: 86 (5,864);
- Putnam: 48 (9,938);
- Sullivan: 45 (5,864);
- Total: 1111 (267,369).
New deaths were also reported in:
- Westchester: 5 (2,235 total);
- Rockland: 1 (729);
- Sullivan: 1 (68).
- Ulster: 1 (240);
- Orange: 0 (685);
- Dutchess: 0 (428);
- Putnam: 0 (91)
- Total: 8 (4,468).
There were 3-4.956 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on Thursday, April 8, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, resulting in 9,014 newly confirmed infections for a 2.96 percent positive infection rate, under 3 percent for the first time this week.
Seventy-one more COVID-19 patients were discharged from New York hospitals, leaving 4,351 still being treated statewide, the lowest number since Dec. 4 last year.
There are 899 (down 48) patients in ICU and 591 (down nine) intubated.
There were 58 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours, down from 47 the day before.
A total of 36 percent of New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 32.1 percent are fully vaccinated.
As of April 9, 748.348 first doses have been administered to Hudson Valley residents, while 443,321 have completed the process., both among the highest rates in the state.
"While we continue to make progress towards defeating COVID once and for all, it's as critical as ever that New Yorkers remain vigilant and keep practicing the behaviors we know stop COVID in its tracks," Cuomo said.
"We're doing all we can to get as many shots in arms as possible, and that has allowed the light at the end of the tunnel to grow brighter every day, however, to ultimately reach it, we must all stay united. New Yorkers have already shown the nation how tough we can be when we all work together and I know we will do it again."
Statewide, a total of 1,927,357 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of nearly 47 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 41,028 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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