Suffolk County’s Covid-19 infection rate reached 12.8 percent, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Wednesday.
The statewide total of new deaths was 144, with 11 reported in Suffolk County.
“To put it simply, today’s COVID-19 numbers are shocking. Not only is this the highest number of new cases reported since the onset of the pandemic, but the double-digit positivity rate puts us right back to where we were in early May. On December 1st, we had a positivity rate of approximately 4 percent, today we are at 12.8 percent. In less than a month, the rate has tripled,” Bellone said.
“We are the only ones who can change these numbers. We have seen this virus spread during the holiday season through small gatherings in homes where people are more likely to let their guard down. As we approach New Year’s Eve, I urge Suffolk County residents to limit gatherings and to do what we know works, wear face coverings and socially distance.”
The rise in infections came as Bloomberg News reported that only about 200,000 Americans are receiving the vaccine each day, and that in New York, only about 22 percent of the allocated 635,775 doses of the vaccine have been used. The US rate is 19.3 percent, Bloomberg said.
| New York | 635,775 |
|
Region |
COVID Patients Currently in Hospital in Region |
COVID Patients as Percent of Region Population |
Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region (7-Day Avg) |
|
Capital Region |
404 |
0.04% |
26% |
|
Central New York |
404 |
0.05% |
22% |
|
Finger Lakes |
959 |
0.08% |
34% |
|
Long Island |
1,384 |
0.05% |
26% |
|
Mid-Hudson |
906 |
0.04% |
35% |
|
Mohawk Valley |
273 |
0.06% |
26% |
|
New York City |
2,772 |
0.03% |
31% |
|
North Country |
74 |
0.02% |
40% |
|
Southern Tier |
196 |
0.03% |
45% |
|
Western New York |
520 |
0.04% |
34% |
|
Statewide |
7,892 |
0.04% |
31% |