Albany, N.Y. — Another 149 people in New York died due to Covid-19 on Monday, down 21 from the day before.
New deaths have been at levels not seen since the spring in recent days. The statewide death toll has increased more than 14% since the start of December after days in the summer and early fall when new deaths were in the single digits.
A total of 30,802 people in the state have now died due to the coronavirus.
A total of 8,590 people in New York were hospitalized due to the virus on Monday, up 339, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. Hospitalizations are at levels not seen since May.
A total of 1,392 people were in intensive care units yesterday, up 35, and 851 were intubated, up eight.
The state confirmed 12,666 new cases of the Covid-19 on Monday, which is comparable to the last few days. The state conducted 152,402 tests for the virus yesterday and has now had 1,041,028 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
The statewide percentage of people testing positive for the virus on Monday was 8.31%, compared with 8.34% Sunday and 7.98% Saturday. The seven-day average of the positive rate in Central New York was 9.13%.
The seven-day average rate was 10.7% in the Mohawk Valley, the highest in the state.
U.K. variant
Cuomo called today for the U.S. to mandate virus testing of all incoming international travelers in response to a new variant of Covid-19 first found in the United Kingdom. Though the strain does not appear more deadly, it spreads more easily, creating the potential for more cases and stress on the hospital system.
New York confirmed the first case of the new variant in the state on Monday. It has been found in three other states and over 30 other countries so far.
Cuomo said there’s no excuse for the delay in mandatory testing. He compared it to the spring, when the virus spread from Europe to the East Coast for weeks before travel restrictions were imposed.
He said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield have acted irresponsibly and negligently.
“What happened to competent leadership in government? The USA must act,” Cuomo said. “If the United States won’t act, then New York state will act.”
Cuomo didn’t specify what actions the state will take, but he previously convinced airlines flying from the U.K. to New York to test all passengers for Covid-19 before departure. Travelers who test positive aren’t allowed to fly.
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