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In the Hudson Valley, the positivity rate has dipped to 2.94 percent on Wednesday, April 21, down from 3.19 percent as recently as two days earlier and 4.5 percent a week ago.
Statewide, the positivity rate has dropped to nearly 2.5 percent, the lowest since November.
New virus-related deaths brought the total in the Hudson Valley to 4,536 fatalities since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
As of Thursday, April 22, there were 352 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Hudson Valley, down several dozen from earlier in the week, but still 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 397 of the region's 672 ICU beds as occupied, leaving 41 percent available in case of another new spike in new cases of the virus.
A breakdown of new cases in each of the Hudson Valley's seven counties is as follows:
- Westchester: 216 new (126,494 total);
- Orange County: 152 (46,540);
- Rockland: 73 (45,922);
- Dutchess: 66 (28,213);
- Ulster County: 46 (13,205);
- Putnam: 27 (10,301);
- Sullivan: 25 (6,235);
- Total: 605 (276,910).
New deaths were also reported in:
- Westchester: 1 (2,248 total);
- Rockland: 1 (745);
- Dutchess: 1 (439);
- Ulster: 1 (245);
- Orange: 0 (698);
- Putnam: 0 (91);
- Sullivan: 0 (70).
- Total: 4 (4,536).
Statewide, the one-day positive infection rate, seven-day average positivity rate, and the hospitalizations rate are down to the lowest since before Thanksgiving in early November.
There were 242,432 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on April 21, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, resulting in 4,996 newly confirmed infections for a 2.06 percent positive infection rate, continuing a trend of the numbers declining, though there were 45 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
One hundred and ninety COVID-19 patients were discharged from New York hospitals in that time span, as the number being treated is down to 3,567, the lowest since Nov. 30 last year.
A total of more than 43 percent of New Yorkers over the age of 18 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while nearly 30 percent are fully vaccinated.
As of Thursday, 905,700 first doses have been administered to Hudson Valley residents, while 594,395 have completed the process, both among the highest rates in the state.
"We continue to vaccinate more New Yorkers each and every day, and we're bolstering statewide efforts to get shots in arms by opening mass vaccination sites to walk-ins over 60, expanding eligibility, and establishing more new sites," Cuomo said.
"We have a lot of work ahead to get New Yorkers to a sufficient level of immunity to defeat this virus once and for all, but millions have now taken both doses and we're undoubtedly making progress. In the meantime, New Yorkers should follow the public health guidance and keep each other safe to get us through the pandemic together."
Statewide, a total of 2,002,512 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of nearly 50 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 41,678 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
"The dedication and determination of New Yorkers in fighting the COVID pandemic is stronger than ever and it shows in the numbers," Cuomo added. "As our hospitalizations continue to decrease and vaccination rates increase, we are closer than ever to the light at the end of the tunnel. While we should all be encouraged by the progress we've made, this fight is not yet over."
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