According to the state Department of Health, the average seven-day COVID-19 infection rate rose in the Hudson Valley for the third straight day, up to 4.34 percent on Wednesday, March 10, the highest rate of New York's 10 regions.
A total of 1,016 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Hudson Valley out of thousands of tests administered in the area on Wednesday, officials announced.
Statewide, the average seven-day positive infection rate held steady at 3.11 percent for the second straight day.
As of Thursday, March 11, there were 451 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Hudson Valley, representing 0.02 percent of the region's population and leaving 44 percent of the region's hospital beds still available.
The state was also reporting 405 of the region's 680 ICU beds as occupied by COVID-19 patients, leaving 41 percent available in case of another surge of the virus.
If the Hudson Valley - or any of the state's nine other regions - finds itself in danger of hitting its 90 percent hospital capacity rate within three weeks, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed to shut down the entire region.
A breakdown of new cases in each of the Hudson Valley's seven counties is as follows:
- Westchester: 374 new (111,713 total);
- Rockland: 204 (40,407);
- Orange County: 199 (38,859);
- Dutchess: 151 (23,439);
- Ulster County: 49 (10,523);
- Putnam: 30 (8,691);
- Sullivan: 9 (4,938);
- Total: 1,016 (238,560).
New deaths were also reported in:
- Westchester: 5 (2,134 total);
- Orange: 2 (653);
- Dutchess: 0 (415);
- Ulster: 0 (233);
- Rockland: 0 (695);
- Putnam: 0 (87);
- Sullivan: 0 (60).
- Total: 7 (4,284).
There were 243,153 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on March 10 according to Cuomo, resulting in 4,735 new cases for a 2.77 percent positive infection rate, down from the previous day.
Sixty-three new COVID-19 patients were discharged from New York hospitals, leaving 4,735 still being treated statewide. There are 955 in ICU and 665 intubated.
There were 80 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
"COVID-19 remains a serious issue in New Yorkers' daily lives, and it's important to stay vigilant and practice safe behaviors even as we see improving numbers and rising vaccinations," Cuomo said. "Our expansive network of vaccine distribution sites is serving more New Yorkers as supply increases and as we expand eligibility, but there's a long way to go before we get to the light at the end of the tunnel.
"New Yorkers should wear masks, wash their hands and stay socially distanced to slow the spread and save lives as we work to defeat the COVID beast together."
Statewide, a total of 1,706,564 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of more than 40.4 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 39,311 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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