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According to the state Department of Health, the seven-day rolling positivity average dropped from 4.43 percent on Friday, March 19 to 4.34 percent as of Thursday, March 25, the second-highest in the state behind only the Hudson Valley's 4.82 percent.
Statewide, the infection rate held steady at 3.37 percent for the second straight day.
"Long Island and the Hudson Valley have been problematic," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a COVID-19 briefing this week. "Long Island has had a high positivity rate for a long time now and so has the Hudson Valley. So we're seeing that it's the actions and behavior of those communities that are impacting the numbers."
Both Suffolk (736) and Nassau (696) reported more than 600 new COVID-19 cases in the latest data released by the state, bringing the total to 178,813 and 164,481 respectively since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
Four new COVID-19 fatalities in Suffolk brought the death toll to 3,218, while there were none were reported in Nassau, as the total held at 3,026.
As of Friday, March 26, there were 801 COVID-19 patients hospitalized on Long Island, representing 0.03 percent of the region's population and leaving 33 percent of hospital beds still available. There were 654 patients in ICU, leaving 22 percent of beds available in Suffolk and Nassau.
The state continues ramping up its COVID-19 vaccination program, with more than three million New Yorkers - more than 15 percent of the population - now vaccinated. Cuomo noted that 239,288 doses have been administered across the state's vast distribution network in the last 24 hours—a new record high—and more than 1 million doses have been administered over the past seven days.
On Long Island, 655,381 residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 356,416 fully vaccinated.
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 26:
- Levittown: 4,751;
- Hicksville: 3,877;
- Hempstead: 3,737;
- Freeport: 3,688;
- East Meadow: 3,410;
- Valley Stream: 3,368;
- Elmont: 2,932;
- Oceanside: 2,863;
- Long Beach: 2,822;
- Franklin Square: 2,813;
- Glen Cove: 2,628;
- Uniondale: 2,423;
- Massapequa: 2,077;
- Rockville Centre: 2,022;
- Baldwin: 1,892;
- Woodmere: 1,869;
- North Bellmore: 1,794;
- Plainview: 1,776;
- Wantagh: 1,767;
- North Massapequa: 1,754;
- West Hempstead: 1,739;
- Mineola: 1,678;
- Merrick: 1,662;
- Lynbrook: 1,652;
- Garden City: 1,646;
- East Massapequa: 1,598;
- Massapequa Park: 1,585;
- Seaford: 1,558;
- Bethpage: 1,547.
The breakdown of cases reported in Suffolk County, according to the Department of Health:
- Brookhaven: 50,502;
- Islip: 44,039;
- Babylon: 25,005;
- Huntington: 20,427;
- Smithtown: 12,619;
- Southampton: 5,209;
- Riverhead: 3,310;
- Southold: 1,560;
- East Hampton: 1,541;
- Shelter Island: 50.
There were 282,449 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on March 25, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, resulting in 8,507 new cases for a 3,01 percent positive infection rate, down slightly from the previous day.
Three more COVID-19 patients were admitted to New York hospitals, bringing the total to 4,603 still being treated statewide. There are 913 in ICU and 558 intubated.
There were 49 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
"New Yorkers have shown themselves and the country what it means to be New York Tough throughout this crisis," Cuomo said. "While we are moving at a faster pace than ever before to the light at the end of the tunnel, vigilance and continued practice of the guidelines we know stop COVID in its tracks are a crucial part of the effort to win this war.
"More and more New Yorkers are getting vaccinated every day, but must all continue to practice social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand washing. The light is getting brighter every day, but not without our continued dedication to ending COVID once and for all."
Statewide, a total of 1,818,344 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of more than 43.8 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 40,190 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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