NEW YORK (WBEN) -- Rising COVID-19 numbers have put New York on an "unsustainable trajectory," Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Tuesday, as the state reported 128 new virus-related deaths and nearly 6,000 hospitalizations.
As of Monday, hospitals across the state were treating 5,982 New Yorkers for complications related to COVID-19, 1,065 of whom were in intensive care and 580 of whom were on ventilators, Cuomo said in a release.
The state last reported more than 5,900 COVID-19 hospitalizations on May 15, when 6,220 New Yorkers were hospitalized, health department data shows. Its daily death toll, meanwhile, has not surpassed 120 since May 16, when officials reported 139 new COVID-19-related fatalities.
Of the 194,188 COVID-19 test results that came back in New York on Monday, 10,353, or 5.33 percent, were positive, the governor said.
"We are on an unsustainable trajectory, and if we don't act now, hospitals could become overwhelmed come January," Cuomo said in a statement. "Right now, New York is focused on growing hospital capacity through our 'Surge and Flex' program and requiring hospital systems to begin working together so they are prepared."
"As those operations continue, it's on all of us to be smart, tough, and do what we know stops the spread — socially distance, wear masks and wash our hands," he added. "The goal is to avoid another shutdown, and we will only be able to do that if we all do our part."
Cuomo's grim prognosis came a day after he warned that the state could see another shutdown — as well as thousands of additional death — if its surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations continues.
#COVID19 cases for Dec. 14: 464 new cases were confirmed by @ECDOH out of 8,273 diagnostic reports received for a daily positivity rate of 5.6%. The 7-day positivity rate average is 6.8%. Total cases through Dec. 14 are now 33,694. pic.twitter.com/hAvaW7oNFw
— Erie County Department of Health 😷 (@ECDOH) December 15, 2020
Breakdowns of COVID-19 statistics by region are below:
