Jul 19, 2021
- After over a year of containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now being told that COVID is now mainly a pandemic among the unvaccinated. The vaccines work—even against the Delta variant. But they only work if you get them. If you haven't already, I encourage you to get your shot to help protect yourself and your loved ones against the Delta variant.
Photo of the Day: Over half of COVID cases in the U.S. are caused by the Delta variant. See live data on the CDC's COVID tracker.
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. COVID hospitalizations are at 378. Of the 69,665 tests reported yesterday, 823, or 1.18 percent, were positive. The 7-day positivity average was 1.26 percent. There were 70 patients in ICU yesterday. Of them, 30 are intubated. Sadly, we lost three New Yorkers to the virus.
2. As of 11am this morning, 73.9 percent of adult New Yorkers have received at least one vaccine dose, per the CDC. Over the past 24 hours, 22,627 total doses have been administered. To date, New York has administered 21,812,432 total doses with 67.4 percent of adult New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See additional data on the State's Vaccine Tracker.
3. The Canadian border will reopen to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens on August 9. The Canadian government is finally reopening its borders and an open border with our neighbors to the North means families will be reunited once again and much-needed relief to our border communities that depends on cross-border trade and supply chains.
4. Get digital proof of your vaccination with Excelsior Pass. Excelsior Pass is a free and voluntary platform for businesses & individuals that can be used to easily access secure proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test. Learn more about Excelsior Pass.
5. The pop-up vaccine sites at Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal have been extended. Individuals who get vaccinated at either of these pop-up sites can receive a free MetroCard or two one-way Metro-North or LIRR tickets.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": A new "turtle crossing" in Jefferson County will protect turtles from the threat of cars. Working in coordination with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Jefferson County Highway Department installed the first turtle crossing to help Blanding's turtles, a threatened species of turtle, travel between Chaumont Bay and Lake Ontario and safely avoid oncoming vehicles.
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Ever Upward,
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo