May 6, 2021
- New Yorkers' hard work continues to pay off as our numbers improve further. Yesterday, New York recorded a positivity rate of 1.27 percent—the lowest-single day COVID-19 positivity rate since October 22. And as we make positive progress toward defeating COVID, we can incrementally reopen our economy based on the science and data. This is all good news, but we aren't through this pandemic yet. We will get past COVID, but only if we do it together, so we need every single New Yorker to do their part by taking precautions from the virus and getting vaccinated so we can begin to recover, reimagine and rebuild.
Photo of the Day: Volunteers from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at the Albany mass vaccination site where they have administered 200,000 vaccines
(Photo courtesy NYSDEC)
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. COVID hospitalizations dropped to 2,335, the lowest since November 18. Of the 203,644 tests reported yesterday, 2,585, or 1.27 percent, were positive. The 7-day average percent positivity was 1.62 percent, the lowest since November 3. There were 605 patients in ICU yesterday, down five from the previous day. Of them, 371 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 23 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. As of 11am this morning, 59.1 percent of adult New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 162,592 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 16,234,370 total doses with 46.3 percent of adult New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See additional data on the State's Vaccine Tracker.
3. Today I'm proud to have signed the NY HERO Act into law. When COVID hit, it was clear that many employers weren't taking adequate steps to protect their employees. This first-in-the-nation legislation will create stronger worker protections & prepare us for the next public health crisis.
4. The Crossgates Mall in Albany will offer discounts for New Yorkers who get vaccinated. Participating stores and tenants of Crossgates Mall in Albany will begin offering discounts and special offers to individuals who have been vaccinated at their mass vaccination site. Formerly located at the SUNY Albany campus, the mass vaccination site now located at Crossgates Mall site has administered over 200,000 vaccinations since opening in January.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": On National Nurses Day, some New Yorkers who recovered from COVID were reunited with the nurses who saved them. With some help from the "Today" show, Brian Morales and John Tillotson surprised the nurses from New York's Northwell Health hospitals with flowers to thank them for their care and hard work during the pandemic. And a big shout-out and thank you to all of New York's nurses for everything they've done for our state.
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