Mar 24, 2021
- As of today, over eight million doses of vaccine have been administered in New York. Our large distribution network is steadily getting shots into people's arms all across the state, but we need to be mindful that we are still in a footrace between the infection rate and the virus. The progress we've made is only as lasting as our continued vigilance. Community behavior matters. It is imperative that we continue to exercise safe guidelines even as more and more of our fellow New Yorkers get vaccinated. Wear your mask, social distance and then when it's your turn—get the vaccine. And today we launched a unique training course where you can become even more knowledgeable on COVID and how to protect the health of your family and community. Details on this program, developed in partnership with Cornell University, are below—you can sign up here.
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. Enroll to become an NYS Citizen Public Health Leader. To continue the fight against COVID and prepare for the next public health emergency, the State announced the launch of a free, online Citizen Public Health Training course for New Yorkers. This innovative course, delivered by the New York State Department of Health in partnership with Cornell University and supported by the State University of New York, will prepare and equip New Yorkers to become NYS Citizen Public Health Leaders and build an informed network of community health leaders across the state. Enroll today.
2. COVID hospitalizations dropped to 4,641. Of the 207,496 tests reported yesterday, 7,278, or 3.51 percent, were positive. The 7-day average percent positivity is 3.34 percent. There were 918 patients in ICU yesterday, down seven from the previous day. Of them, 596 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 71 New Yorkers to the virus.
3. As of 11am this morning, 26.9 percent of New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 154,705 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 8,029,749 total doses with 14.1 percent of New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See data by region and county on the State's Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.
4. Remember, mental health resources are available for New Yorkers who need them. Now that it's officially spring, we are slowly getting outside again and enjoying the warmer weather but we still recognize the mental and emotional strain many are feeling during the pandemic. New Yorkers can visit headspace.com/ny for free mindfulness resources or call our support hotline at 1-844-863-9314.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Even a small gesture like a thank you card can have a big impact. Canadian citizen Beverley Perrin hand-wrote and delivered over 1,000 thank you cards to truck drivers for their work throughout the pandemic keeping shelves stocked. Beverley and her husband, Dick, distributed the cards at a truck stop in Tilbury, Ontario, with each card containing a message of gratitude for truck drivers' essential work.
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