COVID cases and hospitalizations rose Thursday across New York State although the surge is easing in some of the worst hit areas upstate, Gov. Hochul announced Thursday.
More than 10,000 new positive cases were reported in the most recent 24 hours as the ultra-contagious BA.2 sub-variant of omicron continues to spread fast.
The statewide positivity rate stood at 7.53%, above the seven-day average and a sign that numbers are still rising.
“We have the tools to protect against and treat this virus — let’s use them,” Hochul said, urging New Yorkers to get vaccinated and boosted and to wear masks. “By using these tools, we can continue to move forward safely through this pandemic.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/6E6ZMFX77FAUPFR3JPBH6QUVCA.jpg)
Some 2,153 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, about a 1% increase from the day before.
Twenty-one New Yorkers died, raising the total grim toll from the pandemic in the state to 55,557.
Hochul stressed that some of the hardest hit regions upstate have seen caseloads decline in recent days.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/PBQ5UWFLOZHKPOIZNTLAT53DU4.JPG)
The caseloads and positivity figures remained lower in New York City compared to upstate regions, which have lower vaccination rates.
The weekly positive test rate in NYC stood at 4.62%, the lowest of any region in the state. But the figures in the city have risen by 10% since Monday alone, suggesting that a new surge is taking hold in the five boroughs.
