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A total of 1,218 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Hudson Valley in the past 24 hours, according to the state Department of Health, as the seven-day average infection rate rose to 4.21 percent on Wednesday, Feb. 24, up from 4.18 percent the day before.
Statewide, the infection rate dipped slightly from 3.53 percent over the weekend to 3.34 percent, the lowest since Nov. 27.
Only New York City (4.37 percent) currently has a higher average infection rate according to the latest data.
As of Thursday, Feb. 25, there were 600 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Hudson Valley, representing 0.03 percent of the region's population and leaving 44 percent of the region's hospital beds still available.
The state was also reporting 385 of the region's 676 ICU beds as occupied by COVID-19 patients, leaving 42 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: 579 new (106,129 total);
- Orange County: 232 (36,334);
- Rockland: 190 (38,138);
- Dutchess: 106 (21,968);
- Ulster County: 44 (9,898);
- Putnam: 40 (8,244);
- Sullivan: 27 (4,689);
- Total: 1,218 (225,400).
New deaths were also reported in:
- Westchester: 3 (2,080 total);
- Rockland: 3 (688);
- Dutchess: 2 (406);
- Orange: 1 (635);
- Ulster: 1 (227);
- Putnam: 0 (86);
- Sullivan: 0 (59).
- Total: 10 (4,181).
There were 278,942 COVID-19 tests administered in New York on Feb. 24, according to Cuomo, resulting in 8,746 new cases for a 3.14 percent positive infection rate, up slightly from the previous day
One hundred and seventy-three COVID-19 patients were released from New York hospitals, leaving 5,703 still being treated statewide. There are 1,124 in ICU and 774 intubated.
There were 89 new COVID-19-related deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
Cuomo made note that 91 percent of the first COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated to New Have have been administered as of 11 a.m. on Feb. 25.
A total of 2,812,900 first doses have been received, with 2,562,274 administered. New York has received 4,530 first and second doses, with 3,985,558 administered.
"We're continuing to see promising decreases in the positivity and hospitalization rates, and these numbers show that our vaccination efforts and the disciplined behavior of New Yorkers are working to beat back this virus," Cuomo said.
"Now that our numbers are back on track, we are able to begin reopening more businesses and sectors of our economy - like arts, entertainment, and weddings - while continuing to monitor the infection rate to make sure we don't lose any of the progress we've already made."
Statewide, a total of 1,606,520 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed out of more than 37.2 million tests that have been administered. There have been a total of 38,227 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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