NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- More than 50 people in New York were admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 over the weekend — a jump in hospitalizations Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday attributed to the state's "red zone" hotspots.
As of Sunday, 878 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, up by 58 from Saturday, Cuomo said. Of the 878 patients, 185 were in intensive care and 86 were on ventilators.
"Hospitalizations tell you where the serious cases are," he said. "(And) the largest single identifiable addition is from the microclusters."
The governor didn't immediately provide a breakdown of hospitalizations by region. 1010 WINS has reached out to his office for more information.
Of the 91,793 COVID-19 test results that came back in the state on Sunday, 1,029, or 1.1 percent, were positive, Cuomo said.
Once again, he stressed that that infection rate was "misleading," as the state's infection rate excluding its "hotspots" was 1.05 percent.
The state's hotspots, including the ones in Brooklyn and Queens, reported a 3.7 percent infection rate on Sunday — down from Saturday's 5.7 percent, he said.
Despite the decrease in cumulative infection rate, however, the hotspots are still a cause for concern, Cuomo said.
"This is a holiday weekend, so… take these with a grain of salt," he said.
The governor also reported 12 new COVID-19 deaths on Monday: one in Erie County; two in Orange County; two in Queens; one in Richmond County; one in Seneca County; four in Steuben County; and one in Westchester County.
