Aug 12, 2020
Yesterday, New York State reported a record number of COVID diagnostic tests in a single day: 87,776 people, with a rate of only 0.79% of them testing positive. To date, New York State has tested over 6.7 million people and leads the nation in testing. Testing tens of thousands of New Yorkers every day allows us to gauge the infection rate and understand how widespread COVID is in various regions. What's especially encouraging is that daily new cases have dropped even as New York's testing capacity has gone up.
Remember that any New Yorker can get a COVID test for any reason. Find a testing site near you.
Photo of the Day: A sign at Riverside Park in New York City reminds people to stay six feet apart
(Photo by Nina Dudko)
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. The total number of COVID hospitalizations remains low. Yesterday, there were 558 total hospitalizations. Of the 87,776 tests reported yesterday, 700 were positive (0.79%). Sadly, we lost 7 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. All 64 SUNY campuses have developed plans to resume on-campus activities and in-person learning for the Fall 2020 semester. Each campus plan was developed to meet the guidelines set by the Higher Education Guidelines and New York Forward Phase 4 guidelines. Read more.
3. The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx has reopened. Like we did across the State, the Garden is taking a phased approach to reopening with many safety precautions in place.
4. All motor vehicle passengers 16 and older must wear a seat belt in every seat. We know that seat belts save lives and yesterday, I signed legislation requiring all passengers in motor vehicles over the age of 16 to wear a seat belt, even in the back seats. New York was the first state to pass a mandatory seat belt law in 1984 and we building on this legacy for a safer New York.
5. Mental health resources are available to any New Yorker who needs them. We don't underestimate the impact this pandemic is having on mental health. New Yorkers can call the state's hotline at 1-844-863-9314 to get free emotional support, consultations and referrals to a provider or visit headspace.com/ny for free meditation and mindfulness resources.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": In this year's National Kids Safe Online Contest hosted by the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), these five New York students placed in the top ten.
- Addison, 5th Grade
- Eliza, 8th Grade
- Isaac, 10th Grade
- Allison, 12th Grade
- Julian, 12th Grade
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