NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- The virus records keep on being broken in New York, with another pandemic-high in COVID-19 cases set Thursday.
The state announced 74,207 new COVID-19 cases, up over 7,000 from the day before, which was the previous record.
New York’s positivity record has reached a staggering 22.05%, just 3% off from one in four tests coming back positive.
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Hospitalizations continue to climb, now at nearly 7,400, a rise of 600 from just a day before, and now under 2,000 from the peaks of last winter. Patients in New York ICUs also climbed above 1,000 for the first time since March.
Seventy-six new COVID-related deaths were reported, down from the nearly 100 announced the day before, and back to a similar level that New York had seen in previous days and weeks.
COVID hospitalizations in New York were under 2,000 as recently as mid-November, with ICU patients below 400 at that time.
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Over 3,500 of the state’s virus hospitalizations are in New York City, where there are nearly 360 cases per 100,000. That’s far above the the second-highest region by that metric — Long Island, which is at 293.
Just short of 44,000 COVID-19 cases were reported in New York City Thursday, accounting for about 59% of the statewide total.
The state has continued to keep a close eye on New Yorkers getting their booster shots. Over the last day, over 145,000 doses were administered, including just under 40,000 in NYC, where its $100 incentive ends as the year ends.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was expecting a continued surge of cases into January after the holidays.
Across the country, the omicron-fueled surge is putting children in the hospital in record numbers, and experts have lamented that most of the kids are not vaccinated.
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