Apr 29, 2021
- With more than 15 million doses administered across the State, we are looking forward to accelerating the safe and responsible reopening of our state. If you haven't gotten the vaccine yet, I encourage you to do so as soon as you can—all you have to do is show up at any New York State or New York City-run vaccination center, which now accept walk-in appointments for all New Yorkers age 16 and older. If you have already gotten the vaccine, you can be of immense help by spreading the word about the increased availability of the vaccine to friends, family members or neighbors and help bring our state closer to the finish line.
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. COVID hospitalizations dropped to 2,934, falling below 3,000 for the first time since November 24. Of the 226,068 tests reported yesterday, 4,073, or 1.80 percent, were positive. The 7-day average positivity rate was 1.98 percent. There were 691 patients in ICU yesterday, down 21 from the previous day. Of them, 425 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 38 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. As of 11am this morning, 45.6 percent of New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 250,711 total doses have been administered. To date, New York has administered 15,170,850 total doses with 33.4 percent of New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See data by region and county on the State's Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.
3. Today we announced a new pop-up site in Buffalo specifically for 16- to 25-year-olds. Younger people, including teenagers, have some of the highest COVID positivity rates of any age group. While generally less vulnerable to COVID-19 than older people, young people should still get vaccinated because they can still get seriously ill from COVID-19 and have long-term symptoms, and can also spread the virus to more vulnerable people. Over 1,000 doses will be dedicated to the pop-up site, and free bus passes will be available to help eligible residents get to the site.
4. The Buffalo Marathon will return on June 26 and June 27. This year will be the marathon's 20th anniversary, and the race will operate at roughly 50 percent of its typical capacity. Using the Buffalo Marathon as a model, the State's sports and recreation guidance will be updated with health protocols for running races to better help localities plan these events.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": After almost seven decades, two women who both appear in a 1950s Norman Rockwell painting were reunited. The women, Carolyn Fabricant and Charlotte Sorenson, were both high school students in Massachusetts when they posed for the famous American illustrator and artist, for a work called "Bright Future in Banking." The two women were reconnected after Fabricant read a New York Times article about the Rockwell work that mentioned Sorenson. The writer of the article, James Barron, helped arrange a Zoom reunion and the two women—who are immortalized on the canvas—were able to meet again in real life.
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