NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Nearly 5,000 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday, as the state reported 95 new virus-related deaths.
As of Tuesday, hospitals across the state were treating 4,993 COVID-19 patients, 921 of whom were in intensive care and 521 of whom were on ventilators, Cuomo said in a press release.
The state has not reported more than 5,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations since May 20, when 5,187 New Yorkers were hospitalized with the virus, health department data shows.
"Hospitals are going to have to be extraordinarily flexible and nimble to handle the additional case load," Cuomo said in a statement. "Not only will they have to work as a system and balance caseload among their hospitals, but they also need to be prepared to shift patients before they're admitted, to other hospitals that have a greater capacity."
Of the 194,595 COVID-19 test results that came back in New York on Tuesday, 10,600, or 5.44 percent, were positive, the governor said.
COVID-19 cases for Dec. 8: 621 new cases were confirmed by @ECDOH out of 7,989 diagnostic reports received for a daily positivity rate of 7.8%. The 7-day positivity rate average is 6.9%. Total cases through Dec. 8 are now 30,704. pic.twitter.com/mveNljxm1v
— Erie County Department of Health 😷 (@ECDOH) December 9, 2020
Cuomo urged residents to "continue to work to slow the spread of the virus."
"We have the Thanksgiving surge and we're starting to see the full effect of that now, making it critical that we all stay tough, practicing safe behaviors, and follow the guidelines," he said. "We have come so far already, and if we all stay united as a state and persevere, we will reach the light at the end of the tunnel."
Breakdowns of hospitalizations and infection rates by region and New York City borough are below:
