New York State Tops 6,000 Virus Cases for First Time Since April

(Bloomberg) -- Daily coronavirus cases in New York state topped 6,000, the highest since April, and are expected to increase, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Of the 173,085 tests conducted Tuesday, 6,265, or 3.62%, were positive, Cuomo said at a Wednesday briefing in Rochester.

Hospitalizations increased by 126 to 2,982, and 41 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, he said. Cases are expected to rise dramatically over the holiday season, at least 20% statewide, he said.

“The positivity rate goes up, that means you’re going to see the hospitalization rate go up, that means you’re going to see the intensive care unit go up, that means you’re going to see the death-rate number go up,” he said. “That is the progression.”

The state is working on a winter Covid-19 strategy for December through February, Cuomo said. The main focus will be on hospitalization rates, as it was when cases peaked in the state in March and April. At that time, New York was the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S.

“The greatest fear is you overwhelm the hospitalization system,” Cuomo said.

The state also will be looking at ways to safely keep schools open, particularly kindergarten through eighth grade, he said.

Cuomo said he plans to meet with President-elect Joe Biden’s team Wednesday to discuss ways to equitably and efficiently distribute a vaccine.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.