ALBANY — Nearly 2,000 New Yorkers were hospitalized for the coronavirus over the last 24 hours, a level last seen in June.
The state Health Department recorded 1,968 new patients hospitalized statewide for COVID-19 as of Sunday — meanwhile, the last time the Empire State’s hospitalization total broke 2,000 was June 10, when 2,042 people were being treated for the virus.
Sunday’s data shows a 123 increase compared to Saturday’s 1,845 total patient hospitalizations, and a further jump from Friday’s recorded 1,788 individuals.
The daily statewide positivity rate was 2.8 percent, an increase from 2.74 percent the day before.
“COVID-19 is spreading in New York, and the increased number of cases is taking place throughout the state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Monday.
“This is not an upstate or downstate issue — all New Yorkers, regardless of where they live, have cause for concern.”
It’s still a far cry from the state’s record 18,825 patients admitted to hospitals on April 12, although total hospitalizations have doubled over the last month, as October’s daily rates clocked in around 1,000 each day.
The governor has been battling a steady rise in positive COVID-19 cases throughout the fall — both tightening travel restrictions for individuals coming in and out of the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tristate area as well as identifying specific neighborhoods as “micro-cluster” zones to curb the spread.
Restrictions in these areas have led to increased staff and student testing in schools, and in some areas depending on severity, a temporary closure of schools, nonessential businesses and limits on houses of worship gatherings.
But late last week Cuomo imposed new statewide restrictions on gathering sizes, and mandated a 10 P.M. curfew on bars, restaurants and gyms.
New York City’s own data shows Gotham has a 2.77 percent infection rate over a seven-day rolling average, and the five borough’s daily positivity rate has reached 1.68 percent.
City parents are also worried about rising infection rates in schools, as Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned institutions will be shuttered if the citywide seven-day average positive rate reaches 3 percent or above.
Twenty five additional New Yorkers died of the virus according to the latest data released by the DOH, making a total 26,159 confirmed deaths tied to the virus.
— Additional reporting by Nolan Hicks