NYS COVID-19 hospitalizations down to 3,198, positivity rate up to 1.88 pct: governor

NEW YORK, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York State dropped to 3,198 on Saturday, compared with 3,294 one day earlier, tweeted Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the single-day COVID-19 test positivity rate went up to 1.88 percent on Saturday from 1.79 percent on Friday, he said, adding that there were 50 COVID-19 fatalities on Saturday, compared with 40 one day earlier.

In an official statement issued on Sunday, the governor said that the statewide 7-day average COVID-19 positivity rate decreased to 2.19 percent, the lowest since Nov. 8.

"New Yorkers are staying safe, getting vaccinated and following the public health guidance, and we're seeing a decrease in the numbers as a result of their efforts," he was quoted as saying.

"We're getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's important that we don't lose any of our hard-earned progress. Washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing are important tools we can use to combat the virus as we work toward getting every New Yorker vaccinated," he added.

In another tweet on Sunday, Cuomo said that "44.1% of New Yorkers have received at least one vaccine dose and 31.1% have completed their vaccine series. 139,416 total doses were administered over the past 24 hours. 14,435,026 total doses administered to date."

As of Sunday afternoon, the total COVID-19 deaths in New York State topped the level of 52,000 to reach 52,003, the second worst in the country following the state of California with a death toll of 61,467, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.