Mar 31, 2021
- The risk from COVID-19 is still high in New York State, and although we continue to make progress vaccinating New Yorkers, now is not the time to give up on safe behaviors that we know reduce the spread. The vaccine works, but only if we take it, and we can't afford to slow down because we are in a foot race against the infection rate. New vaccination sites are opening and eligibility continues to expand, but the virus is still spreading—and the rate of spread is a function of our behavior. We're going to defeat COVID and return to more fulfilling lives together, but for now, everyone needs to stay vigilant.
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. COVID hospitalizations dropped to 4,651. Of the 220,369 tests reported yesterday, 8,382, or 3.80 percent, were positive. The 7-day average positivity rate was 3.47 percent. There were 899 patients in ICU yesterday, down four from the previous day. Of them, 533 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 62 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. As of 11am this morning, 30.4 percent of New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 192,853 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 9,421,951 total doses with 17.9 percent of New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See data by region and county on the State's Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.
3. We are expanding the New York Forward Rapid Testing Program to help businesses and events safely reopen. Twenty-five new sites will open Thursday, April 1, and 10 sites will open within the next two weeks for a total of 70 sites statewide. The New York Forward Rapid Test Program provides affordable rapid (30 minutes or less) COVID tests at locations across the State. Learn more.
4. See how Excelsior Pass can help you be a part of NY's safe reopening. To help revitalize New York's economy safely, the State launched Excelsior Pass—a free and voluntary platform for businesses & individuals that can be used to easily access secure proof of a recent negative COVID test or vaccination. The Excelsior Pass Wallet app is available for both iOS and Android devices. Learn more.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Some bonds are unbreakable—even between a dog and a stuffed animal. Sisu, a lab mix stray in North Carolina, was found repeatedly sneaking into a North Carolina Dollar General store. Every single time, he would go directly to a purple unicorn stuffed animal in the toy aisle. After many attempts, the store employees were able to catch Sisu and call animal control to bring him to a shelter. But before taking him to the shelter, animal control officer Samantha Lane saw how attached the pup was to the stuffed animal and bought the unicorn for him. Sisu and his beloved toy are now safe at the Duplin County Animal Services shelter.
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