NEW YORK – New York state reported more than 3,000 daily COVID-19 cases for the first time in nearly three months, data released from the state on Saturday shows.
There were 3,050 new cases statewide on Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
It’s the highest number of new cases since May 8, when 3,195 cases were reported.
Of the new cases reported Saturday, more than half—1,682—were in New York City.
The state reported 1,846 new cases last Saturday. Four weeks ago on July 3, there were only 410 new cases.
The state’s seven-day positivity rate was 2.40% on Saturday, up from 1.66% last Saturday and 0.52% on July 3.
Statewide hospitalizations are also up from a week ago: 699 patients on Saturday compared to 494 patients last Saturday. Hospitalizations were at 340 on July 3.
The rise in cases comes even as more than half of the state is fully vaccinated.
About 57% of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, with vaccination rates lowest in rural counties as well as in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
The rise in cases is happening at a faster and steadier pace now than it did last fall before anyone was vaccinated. That autumn wave eventually peaked at more than 16,000 new cases per day in early January.
Hospitalizations due to the virus have been rising at a slower pace than infections, with most of the growth in New York City, Long Island and parts of central New York.
COVID-19 cases are rising in nearly every U.S. state as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps through the country amid lagging vaccinations. That's led to calls for new mask and vaccination mandates.
"New Yorkers fought long and hard and sacrificed a lot to get to where we are today - where we are not just surviving but living life," Cuomo said in a statement Saturday. "But our fight is not over, and we know this because the delta variant continues to infect more and more people, particularly those who are still unvaccinated. We cannot risk throwing away all of our hard-won progress, so I urge everyone who still needs their shot to get it right away and help protect themselves, their neighbors and their loved ones."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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