NEW YORK (WBEN) -- New York state reported 24 new COVID-19-related deaths on Thursday, including 12 fatalities in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
One person died in Erie County according to the latest reports. Eight of the 24 people who passed away died in Brooklyn; two died in Queens; one died in Manhattan; one died in the Bronx; one died in Allegany County; four died in Broome County; one died in Cattaraugus County; one died in Monroe County; one died in Rensselaer County; two died in Schenectady County; and one died in Westchester County, Cuomo said in a release.
Of the 16,019 COVID-19 test results that came back on Wednesday, 2,997, or 1.86 percent, were positive, he said.
The state's infection rate excluding its COVID-19 microclusters was 1.70 percent. The microclusters themselves reported a 3.04 percent infection rate, up from 2.69 percent.
As of Thursday, 1,277 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, up from 1,253 on Wednesday, Cuomo said.
Two hundred and sixty-eight of the 1,277 patients were in intensive care and 128 were on ventilators, he said.
In a statement, Cuomo said New York state still has the third-lowest COVID-19 infection rate of any state in the country.
"But COVID fatigue is creeping up, and there are serious caution flags in Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and in other communities across the state," he said. "So it is more important than ever that we be vigilant."
Breakdowns of infection rates by microcluster, region and New York City borough are below:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said weddings, birthdays and other private gatherings have fueled the spread, on top of universities and schools opening their doors. He has also pointed to public weariness of mask mandates and distancing rules.
