New York state eclipsed another record for COVID-19 testing on Wednesday, when close to 170,000 results were reported, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
While the positivity rate of 1.48% remains one of the lowest in a nation where the virus has surged in recent weeks, the news wasn’t completely good. Nineteen New Yorkers died of the illness on Oct. 28, and another 1,085 people are currently hospitalized with symptoms — 237 of whom are in intensive care.
On Oct. 28, the state Department of Health reported a record 168,353 COVID-19 test results, of which 2,499 came back positive. This included an oversampling of red zone microclusters throughout the state, where 19,696 test results were returned and 639 positive cases were found.
Progress continues to be made in the southern Brooklyn red zone that has been racked by COVID-19 over the past month, according to the governor’s office. The current 7-day rolling average is down to 3.64% from a high of 5.86% registered between Oct. 4-10. The positivity rate for the southern Brooklyn red zone on Oct. 28 was 4.62%, up from 3.56% from the previous day.
The positivity rate is under 3% in yellow zone caution areas around the southern Brooklyn cluster as well as in central Queens and Far Rockaway.
Overall, New York City’s positivity rate on Wednesday clocked in at 1.5%, though there are higher numbers of positive cases found in Staten Island (2.4% positivity on Oct. 28) and the Bronx (2.1%). Queens and Brooklyn both had positivity rates of 1.7%, and Manhattan’s rate checked in at just 0.7%.
In all, 1,060 positive cases were reported in New York City on Oct. 28, or 42.4% of all positive results reported statewide that day.
Seven of the 19 New York state deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday occurred in New York City — with four in Brooklyn and one each in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens.
Cuomo continued to advised caution and persistence from the public in weathering the ongoing COVID-19 storm.
“COVID-19 has had untold impacts on New Yorkers’ physical and mental health, and it’s critical that everyone stays vigilant as we move into the winter and COVID fatigue sets in,” the governor said. “It’s important to put our state in context — we’re pushing ahead in the midst of increasing cases in the United States and around the globe. New Yorkers should wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands, and local governments should continue to practice careful enforcement.”
