Governor Kathy Hochul: Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19

From November 7, 2022 post.

"I urge New Yorkers to remain vigilant this November and to use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "Be sure to stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Last week, Governor Hochul launched a new public awareness campaign featuring New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett speaking directly to New Yorkers about three viruses - Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), flu and COVID-19 - now circulating in the state with similar symptoms and the potential to cause serious illness. Produced by the New York State Department of Health, the videos include a short clip and a longer version geared toward parents; and a version aimed specifically at health care providers.  

Governor Hochul continues to remind New Yorkers that children ages 5 and older may now receive the bivalent booster shots that are recommended to increase protection against COVID-19. 

The Governor also urges New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.  

In addition, Governor Hochul encourages New Yorkers to get their annual flu vaccine as flu season is widespread across New York State. The flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both circulating, so getting vaccinated against both is the best way to stay healthy and to avoid added stress to the health care system.  

The State Department of Health is continuing its annual public education campaign, reminding adults and parents to get both flu and COVID-19 shots for themselves and children 6 months and older. Advertisements in both English and Spanish language began running last month. 

For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.

Today's data is summarized briefly below:    

• Cases Per 100k - 15.71
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 20.53
• Test Results Reported - 41,661
• Total Positive - 3,070
• Percent Positive - 6.57%**     
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 5.88%**      
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,804 (+0)*
• Patients Newly Admitted - 453*
• Patients in ICU - 288 (-15)*
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 87 (-15)*
• Total Discharges - 358,728 (+412)*
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 21*  
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 58,924 *  

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.       

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.      

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.   

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 75,220

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.       

Each region's 7-day average of cases per 100K population is as follows:       

REGION	Friday, November 4, 2022	Saturday, November 5, 2022	Sunday, November 6, 2022
Capital Region	15.26	15.55	14.92
Central New York	11.61	11.85	11.75
Finger Lakes	11.85	12.07	12.21
Long Island	23.58	23.82	24.19
Mid-Hudson	18.97	19.43	19.78
Mohawk Valley	14.16	14.22	14.13
New York City	23.23	23.72	24.23
North Country	14.25	14.93	14.87
Southern Tier	17.72	17.51	17.74
Western New York	13.42	13.37	13.57
Statewide	19.88	20.23	20.53

Each region's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows**:            

Region	Friday, November 4, 2022	Saturday, November 5, 2022	Sunday, November 6, 2022
Capital Region	6.68%	6.60%	6.59%
Central New York	5.40%	5.40%	5.34%
Finger Lakes	5.59%	5.50%	5.52%
Long Island	6.07%	5.95%	5.94%
Mid-Hudson	5.82%	5.82%	5.87%
Mohawk Valley	6.67%	6.65%	6.48%
New York City	5.58%	5.56%	5.58%
North Country	6.96%	7.17%	7.07%
Southern Tier	7.24%	7.15%	7.19%
Western New York	8.25%	8.06%	8.03%
Statewide	5.92%	5.88%	5.88%

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.       

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:          

Borough in NYC	Friday, November 4, 2022	Saturday, November 5, 2022	Sunday, November 6, 2022
Bronx	6.57%	6.54%	6.52%
Kings	4.27%	4.34%	4.43%
New York	6.01%	5.79%	5.78%
Queens	6.75%	6.82%	6.77%
Richmond	5.57%	5.48%	5.45%

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.       

Yesterday, 3,070 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 6,192,173. A geographic breakdown is as follows:       

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	74,993	31
Allegany	10,345	3
Broome	55,879	14
Cattaraugus	18,550	3
Cayuga	19,526	5
Chautauqua	28,272	5
Chemung	25,504	18
Chenango	11,305	6
Clinton	21,362	6
Columbia	12,990	6
Cortland	12,763	5
Delaware	9,624	4
Dutchess	79,183	43
Erie	257,827	95
Essex	7,275	6
Franklin	11,620	2
Fulton	15,851	3
Genesee	15,944	9
Greene	10,344	1
Hamilton	1,046	-
Herkimer	16,781	3
Jefferson	25,423	19
Lewis	7,048	1
Livingston	13,792	5
Madison	16,154	7
Monroe	183,129	74
Montgomery	14,406	6
Nassau	509,913	299
Niagara	57,280	7
NYC	2,876,224	1,606
Oneida	66,111	27
Onondaga	137,095	41
Ontario	24,805	12
Orange	130,096	60
Orleans	10,097	1
Oswego	33,098	10
Otsego	12,666	5
Putnam	29,410	22
Rensselaer	39,904	26
Rockland	111,176	55
Saratoga	58,672	30
Schenectady	41,646	19
Schoharie	6,268	-
Schuyler	4,191	1
Seneca	7,281	7
St. Lawrence	25,429	6
Steuben	24,201	12
Suffolk	527,383	250
Sullivan	22,937	8
Tioga	13,413	3
Tompkins	25,322	5
Ulster	40,410	20
Warren	17,854	6
Washington	14,961	3
Wayne	20,891	5
Westchester	312,616	140
Wyoming	9,635	3
Yates	4,252	1

Below is data that shows how many hospitalized individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 were admitted for COVID-19/COVID-19 complications and how many were admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions:

Region	COVID-19 Patients currently hospitalized	Admitted due to COVID or complications of COVID	% Admitted due to COVID or complications of COVID	Admitted where COVID was not included as one of the reasons for admission	% Admitted where COVID was not included as one of the reasons for admission
Capital Region	139	80	57.6%	59	42.4%
Central New York	111	54	48.6%	57	51.4%
Finger Lakes	293	76	25.9%	217	74.1%
Long Island	439	203	46.2%	236	53.8%
Mid-Hudson	318	120	37.7%	198	62.3%
Mohawk Valley	49	33	67.3%	16	32.7%
New York City	1,149	445	38.7%	704	61.3%
North Country	68	22	32.4%	46	67.6%
Southern Tier	94	30	31.9%	64	68.1%
Western New York	144	67	46.5%	77	53.5%
Statewide	2,804	1,130	40.3%	1,674	59.7%

The Omicron variant now represents more than 95% of the viruses in circulation. For more information on variant tracking, please visit here: COVID-19 Variant Data | Department of Health (ny.gov).      

On Friday, November 4, there were 21 total new deaths were reported due to COVID-19, bringing the total to 58,924. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:     

County	New Deaths
Bronx	1
Broome	1
Dutchess	2
Erie	1
Kings	1
Monroe	1
Nassau	4
Niagara	1
Onondaga	1
Queens	3
Richmond	1
St. Lawrence	1
Suffolk	1
Westchester	1
Yates	1
Grand Total	21

Important Note: HERDS data collection from health care facilities is not currently required on weekends or holidays. The survey will resume today and the facility/death data will be displayed in tomorrow's report. The numbers with an asterisk were reported on Friday, November 4.       

New Yorkers looking to schedule vaccine appointments for 5-11-year-old children are encouraged to contact their child's pediatrician, family physician, county health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural health centers, or pharmacies that may be administering the vaccine for this age group. Parents and guardians can visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations. Make sure that the provider offers the Pfizer-BioNTechCOVID-19 vaccine, as the other COVID-19 vaccines are not yet authorized for this age group.       

Visit our website for parents and guardians for new information, frequently asked questions and answers, and resources specifically designed for parents and guardians of this age group.

Original source can be found here.