Jun 21, 2021
- From the highest positivity rate on the globe, to one of the lowest positivity rates in the nation, New Yorkers have worked tirelessly to keep their communities safe and show up for each other throughout the pandemic. With reopening underway, New Yorkers should be proud of themselves and start living life again, enjoying all that our beautiful state has to offer—especially now that it is officially summer. If you haven't already, get your vaccine so you can safely go forward to make priceless memories with your loved ones.
Photo of the Day: The Smithtown High School East Honor Society visited the Stony Brook mass vaccination site to thank the staff
(Photo by Aphrodite Montalvo)
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. COVID hospitalizations are at 485. Of the 58,372 tests reported yesterday, 251, or 0.43 percent, were positive. The 7-day average percent positivity was 0.37 percent. There were 114 patients in ICU yesterday, down four from the previous day. Of them, 62 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 10 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. As of 11am this morning, 71.0 percent of adult New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose, per the CDC. Over the past 24 hours, 31,101 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 20,605,726 total doses with 63.2 percent of adult New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See additional data on the State's Vaccine Tracker.
3. Fourth of July fireworks celebrations will be held at Empire State Plaza and Jones Beach this year. The New York State Office of General Services and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation are joining with partners again to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks and events from 6-10pm at the Empire State Plaza, including a pop-up vaccination site from 5:30-8:00pm and at Jones Beach State Park beginning at 9:30pm.
4. In the third round of the program, Nourish NY has spent $13 million to help New Yorkers in need. So far, over eight million pounds of raw milk has been turned into dairy products and distributed by food banks, along with over 3.4 million pounds of produce. Over 7 million meals have been made for households in need using products sourced from New York farms.
5. Some mass vaccination sites will downscale as the State shifts resources to local areas of greatest need. Given the statewide progress on vaccinations, certain State-run mass vaccination sites will begin to downscale and shift their resources for localized vaccination efforts. Over the course of weeks and months, a number of sites will downscale based on demand, proximity to other vaccination sites, and other locally-focused efforts. The transition reflects the State's plan to focus resources on areas where zipcode data shows the vaccination rate is lower than the statewide average.
6. Remember, mental health resources are available for New Yorkers who need them. Even though it's officially summer and New York continues to reopen and rebuild, we can't underestimate the mental and emotional strain of the pandemic. New Yorkers can visit http://headspace.com/ny for free mindfulness resources or call our support hotline at 1-844-863-9314.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": The Queens-Midtown Tunnel is a great option to get from Manhattan to Queens by car—but it's an unusual route for a dog. Indie, a rescue who has been living in the Upper West Side, escaped from her dog walker and managed to end up in Long Island City by way of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, evading oncoming vehicles. A week later, Indie was reunited with her owner thanks to the help of fellow New Yorkers who rescued Indie from a warehouse following her cross-borough journey.
Ever Upward,