NYS COVID-19 test positivity rate rises to 4.96 pct: governor

NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Of the 146,675 COVID-19 tests reported on Monday in New York State, 7,285 were positive, or 4.96 percent of the total, up from 4.57 percent one day earlier, tweeted Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday.

The rate topped 4 percent on Saturday for the first time since May.

The COVID-19 test positivity rate in the focus areas under the state's micro-cluster strategy, where the outbreaks are targeted for their severity and potential of spread, was 6.27 percent on Monday, up from 6.22 percent on Sunday, said Cuomo.

The statewide positivity rate excluding these focus areas was 4.46 percent on Monday, up from 4.02 percent one day earlier, said the governor.

Total hospitalizations were at 3,774 on Monday, up from 3,532 on Sunday, added Cuomo, who had warned that the state's COVID-19 hospitalizations could reach 6,000 in weeks based on the current trends.

On Monday, the state government announced that a winter plan was in session, which included five "Targeted Strategies to Manage and Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19": Manage hospital capacity to enhance and equalize care; Increase and balance testing resources and availability; Keep schools open safely; Prevent viral spread from small gatherings; Operationalize an equitable and safe vaccination program.

As of Tuesday noon, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 34,605 coronavirus deaths in New York state, the worst in the country.