GOVERNOR CUOMO CALLS ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE ACTION IN WAKE OF HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS VARIANT OF COVID-19 VIRUS CIRCULATING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

By CUOMO PRESS OFFICE | December 21, 2020


6,185 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide

1,045 Patients in the ICU; 600 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 5.05%

123 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today called on the federal government to take action in the wake of a new, highly contagious variant of the COVID-19 virus circulating in the United Kingdom. Several European countries have already imposed new restrictions on individuals traveling from the United Kingdom, including banning travelers and mandatory testing measures, yet the United States has taken no action in response. The Governor called on the federal government to consider multiple restrictions in the wake of the new variant of COVID-19, including imposing mandatory testing of individuals traveling from the United Kingdom on flights to the United States, as well as a new travel ban from Europe. The actions being recommended by the Governor today take into account lessons learned from March, when the federal government was late to impose a European travel ban allowing the virus to spread uncontrollably throughout New York State and the country.

 

“There is a disturbing story coming out of the United Kingdom of a highly contagious new variant of the COVID-19 virus. A number of countries have banned people from the UK, and 120 countries demand that before you get on a flight in the UK to come to their country, you have to have tested negative. The United States has a number of flights coming in from the UK each day and we have done absolutely nothing. To me, this is reprehensible because this is what happened in the spring,” Governor Cuomo said. “How many times in life do you have to make the same mistake before you learn? The federal government is being grossly negligent just like the spring, and every day they do nothing on this problem, they do something. It’s high time the federal government takes swift action, because today that variant is getting on a plane and landing in JFK, and all it takes is one person.”

 

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

  • Test Results Reported – 197,251
  • Tested Positive – 9,957
  • Percent Positive – 5.05%
  • Patient Hospitalization – 6,185 (-23)
  • Patients Newly Admitted – 822
  • Hospital Counties – 55
  • Number ICU – 1,045 (-43)
  • Number ICU with Intubation – 600 (-10)
  • Total Discharges – 95,307 (+728)
  • Deaths – 123
  • Total Deaths – 28,598

The regional hospital bed capacity and occupancy numbers, including the number of hospitalizations as a percent of the region’s population, is as follows:

 

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 340 0.03% 25%
Central New York 384 0.05% 28%
Finger Lakes 733 0.06% 31%
Long Island 1,030 0.04% 25%
Mid-Hudson 748 0.03% 33%
Mohawk Valley 204 0.04% 31%
New York City 2,036 0.02% 27%
North Country 64 0.01% 48%
Southern Tier 173 0.03% 44%
Western New York 473 0.03% 28%
Statewide 6,185 0.03% 29%

 

The regional ICU bed capacity and occupancy numbers are as follows:

 

Region Total ICU Beds in Region Total Occupied ICU Beds in Region Percent of ICU Beds Available in Region (7-day Avg)
Capital Region 223 180 30%
Central New York 275 206 32%
Finger Lakes 397 270 31%
Long Island 835 655 27%
Mid-Hudson 713 432 43%
Mohawk Valley 132 89 26%
New York City 2,339 1,743 29%
North Country 71 35 50%
Southern Tier 127 75 36%
Western New York 545 334 43%
NYS TOTAL 5,657 4,019 32%

 

Yesterday, 197,251 test results were reported to New York State, and 5.05 percent were positive. Each region’s 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

 

REGION THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Capital Region 6.49% 6.78% 6.89%
Central New York 6.89% 6.98% 6.70%
Finger Lakes 8.31% 8.45% 8.34%
Long Island 6.08% 6.19% 6.30%
Mid-Hudson 6.17% 6.27% 6.36%
Mohawk Valley 8.21% 8.24% 8.18%
New York City 4.14% 4.22% 4.24%
North Country 4.51% 4.59% 4.99%
Southern Tier 2.48% 2.46% 2.49%
Western New York 6.57% 6.64% 6.37%
Statewide 5.25% 5.36% 5.38%

 

Each New York City borough’s 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

 

BOROUGH THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Bronx 4.64% 4.78% 4.92%
Brooklyn 4.24% 4.33% 4.36%
Manhattan 2.75% 2.77% 2.72%
Queens 4.76% 4.80% 4.82%
Staten Island 5.11% 5.30% 5.38%

 

Of the 848,042 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

 

County Total Positive New Positive
Albany 9,174 177
Allegany 1,559 22
Broome 7,004 66
Cattaraugus 2,037 26
Cayuga 2,020 67
Chautauqua 2,770 50
Chemung 4,083 55
Chenango 972 10
Clinton 795 18
Columbia 1,352 15
Cortland 1,713 25
Delaware 581 15
Dutchess 10,238 148
Erie 36,400 447
Essex 439 9
Franklin 576 18
Fulton 1,032 35
Genesee 2,041 41
Greene 987 18
Hamilton 82 1
Herkimer 1,451 50
Jefferson 1,302 37
Lewis 655 17
Livingston 1,398 46
Madison 1,865 45
Monroe 27,748 689
Montgomery 948 40
Nassau 76,322 901
Niagara 6,845 136
NYC 380,473 3,244
Oneida 9,405 227
Onondaga 17,586 319
Ontario 2,508 62
Orange 21,072 196
Orleans 1,056 38
Oswego 2,782 58
Otsego 1,005 15
Putnam 4,127 50
Rensselaer 3,168 77
Rockland 25,275 151
Saratoga 4,096 88
Schenectady 4,488 111
Schoharie 418 10
Schuyler 441 13
Seneca 586 20
St. Lawrence 1,584 38
Steuben 2,785 76
Suffolk 82,134 1,145
Sullivan 2,697 58
Tioga 1,471 20
Tompkins 1,781 53
Ulster 4,850 59
Warren 836 3
Washington 641 7
Wayne 1,977 40
Westchester 62,940 535
Wyoming 1,069 16
Yates 402 4

 

Yesterday, 123 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 28,598. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:

 

Deaths by County of Residence
County New Deaths
Albany 1
Allegany 1
Bronx 3
Cattaraugus 2
Chemung 1
Cortland 4
Dutchess 1
Erie 13
Genesee 2
Herkimer 1
Kings 8
Livingston 1
Madison 2
Manhattan 4
Monroe 6
Montgomery 4
Nassau 7
Niagara 3
Oneida 5
Onondaga 11
Ontario 2
Orange 3
Oswego 1
Queens 6
Richmond 2
Rockland 5
Schenectady 1
Seneca 2
St. Lawrence 1
Steuben 2
Suffolk 9
Ulster 2
Westchester 6
Wyoming 1

 

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Additional news available at www.governor.ny.gov
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