NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York state's coronavirus infection rate rose to 1.02% on Saturday after hitting the 1% mark on Friday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that 866 tests out of 84,770 performed Saturday came back positive—an infection rate of 1.02%.
The infection rate was about at 1% on Friday, when 1,005 tests out of 99,953 came back positive. The infection rate was 0.95% on Thursday and 1.02% on Wednesday.
Friday's 1,005 positive cases marked the first time since June 5 that the state had reported more than 1,000 new cases in a single day.
Cuomo's office said Saturday that the state's seven-day average was at 1%, with an average of 86,000 people being tested each day.
New York City's infection rate has also been inching upward in recent days; it was 1% Thursday, 1.1% Friday and 1.2% Saturday.
The governor has been urging New Yorkers to wear face coverings and social distance to keep the infection rate below 1% as the state continues its reopening and students head back to school ahead of the flu season.
"COVID-19 remains a force to be reckoned with throughout the country and around the globe, and we cannot drop our guard. While our numbers remain relatively flat, we continue to closely monitor the data daily as always," Cuomo said Sunday in a statement.
Saturday's 866 new cases bring the statewide total since the pandemic began to 455,626.
There were also six more deaths Saturday, including two in the Bronx and one in Manhattan. The state's death toll is now 25,456.
There were 541 people hospitalized Saturday, an increase of 14 patients. The number of patients in intensive care was 155, with 59 patients intubated.
