NEW YORK (WBEN) – New York's coronavirus hospitalizations neared 8,000 on Sunday as the state reported over 11,000 new cases and the positivity rate approached 8%.
Hospitalizations rose to 7,963, an increase of 149 patients from the day before, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. There were 813 newly admitted patients and 574 discharges.
The number of patients in intensive care rose by 23 to 1,344, while the number of intubated patients increased by 29 to 815.
The state reported 11,368 new cases out of 142,345 tests conducted Saturday for a statewide positivity rate of 7.98%.
New York reached an 8% positivity rate twice last week before the rate dropped on Friday.
COVID-19 cases for Jan. 1: 526 new cases were confirmed by @ECDOH out of 6,289 diagnostic reports received for a daily positivity rate of 8.4%. The 7-day positivity rate average is 7.0%. Total cases through Jan. 1 are now 42,240. Epi still working on 1/2/21 data; will report tmrw pic.twitter.com/xfeBcV9ySD
— Erie County Department of Health 😷 (@ECDOH) January 3, 2021
On Saturday, the state surpassed 1 million total cases since the pandemic began. The total stood at 1,017,153 on Sunday.
Cuomo said another 138 New Yorkers died from the virus, bringing the state's death toll to 30,476. Of the new deaths, 27 were in New York City.
Cuomo said Sunday he won't receive the coronavirus vaccine until the general public, including Black, Hispanic and poor New Yorkers in his age group, is able to receive it. Cuomo made the pledge during recorded remarks to the congregation at Abyssinian Baptist Church.
"Race or income will not determine who lives and who dies," he said. "I move around a lot and come into contact with many people and I would feel much safer if I took the vaccine, but I will not take the vaccine until the vaccine is available for my group in Black, Hispanic, and poor communities around the state."
Cuomo is considered an essential, public-facing worker and would be eligible to receive the vaccine in the second phase of distribution, along with high-risk, elderly members of the general public. Subsequent phases will prioritize high-risk and low-risk members of the general public.
Health care workers and nursing home residents and staff are first in line for the vaccines currently being administered.
Cuomo noted that the pandemic has exposed racial disparities in the health care system, both in the availability of testing and the rates of infection and fatalities. Black people have died at double the rate of whites and Hispanics at one and a half times the rate, he said.
"This can't happen again, and it can't happen with this vaccine," he said.
