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The positive testing rates for the last three days on Long Island is as follows:
- Tuesday, Dec. 15: 5.85 percent
- Wednesday, Dec. 16: 5.97 percent
- Thursday, Dec. 17: 6.08 percent
Here's a rundown of new cases on Long Island:
- Suffolk County, 1,197
- Nassau County, 901
- Total number of new cases: 2,098
There were 120 COVID deaths statewide on Thursday, with nine on Long Island (five in Nassau County and four in Suffolk County), bringing the total to 28,344 during the pandemic.
Here is statewide data for Thursday:
- Test Results Reported - 249,385
- New Cases - 12,697
- Percent Positive - 5.09%
- Patient Hospitalization - 6,081 (-66)
- Patients Newly Admitted - 698
- Number ICU - 1,068 (-27)
- Number ICU with Intubation - 592 (-19)
- Total Discharges - 94,057 (+639)
"New Yorkers are smart, they see the COVID numbers and they understand the risks," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Friday. " think they're going to learn from Thanksgiving and I think you'll see a smarter response through the holiday season.
"I believe we can avoid a shutdown because we can slow the spread and the hospitals can manage the increase in cases. This is now a footrace between the vaccine and COVID, and as we slow the spread we also have to accelerate vaccine distribution at the same time.
"The faster we vaccinate people, the quicker new COVID cases go down, and the potential six-to-nine-month timeline is all in our control.
"I believe we had the first vaccination in the country because I believe New York is mobilizing faster and is more organized than any other state. New York's Clinical Advisory Task Force approved Moderna's vaccine this morning and we're expecting doses of it next week, which is good news.
"The even better news is that the supply of vaccine doses is actually bigger than we thought and we'll be authorizing the use of those additional doses today."
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