Aug 11, 2020
Our numbers continue to be encouraging. The total number of hospitalizations, at 540 yesterday, remains low and steady, and the number of patients in ICU fell to 120 patients—the lowest number since March 15th. The State conducted 77,059 tests, of which 667, or 0.88%, were positive. Sadly, we lost 6 New Yorkers to the virus.
As we keep moving forward, we must continue to wear masks and to take every precaution. It's working. And it will only keep working if each and every one of us stays smart.
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. Two additional states and the Virgin Islands were added to NY's COVID travel advisory. Hawaii, South Dakota, and the U.S. Virgin Islands met the criteria to be included. Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio and Rhode Island have been removed from the list. (Individuals who are part-way through a quarantine after arriving from those four states should continue self-isolating for the full 14 days.) See the full list of states and territories subject to the travel advisory here.
2. For the first time since 1915, three baseball games will be played at three different sites in NY on the same day. Today, the Yankees, the Mets and the Blue Jays are all playing games in New York State. Earlier this year, we announced that the Toronto Blue Jays would play most home games this season at Buffalo's Sahlen Field; that means today is the first time that Buffalo has hosted a major league baseball game in 105 years.
3. On day 101, the Nourish NY program has spent more than $9 million to connect surplus food from farms to food banks across the state. So far, the initiative has redirected 14.1 million pounds of raw milk into dairy products like cheese, yogurt and milk, as well as approximately 3.5 million pounds of produce. Over 280,000 households have received products sourced from 4,100 farms.
4. 47 years ago in the Bronx, hip hop was born and today, Hip Hop Public Health launched a new PSA encouraging others to wear a mask. Following their successful "20 Seconds or More" and "20 Segundos o Mas" campaign, the organization released a new song to inform listeners of the importance of wearing a mask and how wearing a mask is an effective tool from stopping the spread of the virus. Watch the video here.
5. Due to Coronavirus concerns, this year's New York Comic Con will be held virtually. The popular event which is usually held in the Javits Center in Manhattan will feature online programming from October 8-11 this year.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Anthony Madu, an 11-year-old boy in Lagos, Nigeria, became an internet sensation after his dance teacher posted a video of him pirouetting barefoot in the rain. Following the viral video, Madu was awarded a scholarship from New York City's prestigious American Ballet Theatre.
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