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In the Hudson Valley, the positivity rate rose to 4.8 percent as of Sunday, March 28 before dipping back to 3.71 percent the following day, the highest rate in the state.
Only Long Island (4.34 percent) and New York City (4.21 percent) had an infection rate above 4 percent out of the state's 10 regions.
Statewide, the average infection rate dropped from 3.45 percent to 3.43 percent through Monday, March 29.
A total of 870 new COVID-19 infections were confirmed in the Hudson Valley in the latest data released by the state, and there were only four virus-related fatalities - all in Westchester - confirmed by the Department of Health.
As of Tuesday, March 30, there were 556 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 392 of the region's 678 ICU beds as occupied by COVID-19 patients, leaving 41 percent available in case of another surge of the virus.
A breakdown of new cases in each of the Hudson Valley's seven counties is as follows:
- Westchester: 278 new (119,242 total);
- Orange County: 246 (43,015);
- Rockland: 138 (43,375);
- Dutchess: 86 (25,893);
- Ulster County: 59 (11,918);
- Sullivan: 33 (5,482);
- Putnam: 30 (9,468);
- Total: 870 (257,310).
New deaths were also reported in:
- Westchester: 4 (2,194 total);
- Dutchess: 0 (425);
- Orange: 0 (669);
- Rockland: 0 (714);
- Sullivan: 0 (64).
- Ulster: 0 (236);
- Putnam: 0 (90);
- Total: 4 (4,392).
There were 151,437 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on Monday, March 29, according to Cuomo, resulting in 6,488 new cases for a 3.43 percent positive infection rate, up slightly from the previous day.
One hundred and forty more COVID-19 patients were admitted into New York hospitals, leaving 4,715 still being treated statewide. There are 903 in ICU and 523 intubated.
There were 61 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
"New Yorkers have shown time and again the strength and discipline it takes to fight COVID, but there's more work to be done before we reach the light at the end of the tunnel. We're working 24/7 to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible, and while those efforts are bearing fruit, we need everyone to keep up the vigilance," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
"We're expanding eligibility and opening more vaccine sites around the state but the new variants are a concern. I urge New Yorkers to continue wearing masks, socially distancing, and following the public health guidance as we work to defeat the COVID beast for good."
Statewide, a total of 1,850,050 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of more than 44.7 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 40,451 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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