Highly Contagious Variant of COVID-19 Circulating in the UK

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today called on the federal government to take action in the wake of a new, highly contagious variant of the COVID-19 virus circulating in the United Kingdom. Several European countries have already imposed new restrictions on individuals traveling from the United Kingdom, including banning travelers and mandatory testing measures, yet the United States has taken no action in response. The Governor called on the federal government to consider multiple restrictions in the wake of the new variant of COVID-19, including imposing mandatory testing of individuals traveling from the United Kingdom on flights to the United States, as well as a new travel ban from Europe. The actions being recommended by the Governor today take into account lessons learned from March, when the federal government was late to impose a European travel ban allowing the virus to spread uncontrollably throughout New York State and the country.  

«There is a disturbing story coming out of the United Kingdom of a highly contagious new variant of the COVID-19 virus. A number of countries have banned people from the UK, and 120 countries demand that before you get on a flight in the UK to come to their country, you have to have tested negative. The United States has a number of flights coming in from the UK each day and we have done absolutely nothing. To me, this is reprehensible because this is what happened in the spring,» Governor Cuomo said. «How many times in life do you have to make the same mistake before you learn? The federal government is being grossly negligent just like the spring, and every day they do nothing on this problem, they do something. It’s high time the federal government takes swift action, because today that variant is getting on a plane and landing in JFK, and all it takes is one person.» 

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported – 197,251
• Tested Positive – 9,957
• Percent Positive – 5.05%
• Patient Hospitalization – 6,185 (-23)
• Patients Newly Admitted – 822
• Hospital Counties – 55
• Number ICU – 1,045 (-43)
• Number ICU with Intubation – 600 (-10)
• Total Discharges – 95,307 (+728)
• Deaths – 123
• Total Deaths – 28,598

The regional hospital bed capacity and occupancy numbers, including the number of hospitalizations as a percent of the region’s population, is as follows:

Region	COVID Patients Currently in Hospital in Region	COVID Patients as Percent of Region Population	Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region (7-Day Avg)
Capital Region	340	0.03%	25%
Central New York	384	0.05%	28%
Finger Lakes	733	0.06%	31%
Long Island	1,030	0.04%	25%
Mid-Hudson	748	0.03%	33%
Mohawk Valley	204	0.04%	31%
New York City	2,036	0.02%	27%
North Country	64	0.01%	48%
Southern Tier	173	0.03%	44%
Western New York	473	0.03%	28%
Statewide	6,185	0.03%	29%

The regional ICU bed capacity and occupancy numbers are as follows:

Region	Total ICU Beds in Region	Total Occupied ICU Beds in Region	Percent of ICU Beds Available in Region (7-day Avg)
Capital Region	223	180	30%
Central New York	275	206	32%
Finger Lakes	397	270	31%
Long Island	835	655	27%
Mid-Hudson	713	432	43%
Mohawk Valley	132	89	26%
New York City	2,339	1,743	29%
North Country	71	35	50%
Southern Tier	127	75	36%
Western New York	545	334	43%
NYS TOTAL	5,657	4,019	32%

Yesterday, 197,251 test results were reported to New York State, and 5.05 percent were positive. Each region’s 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

REGION	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
Capital Region	6.49%	6.78%	6.89%
Central New York	6.89%	6.98%	6.70%
Finger Lakes	8.31%	8.45%	8.34%
Long Island	6.08%	6.19%	6.30%
Mid-Hudson	6.17%	6.27%	6.36%
Mohawk Valley	8.21%	8.24%	8.18%
New York City	4.14%	4.22%	4.24%
North Country	4.51%	4.59%	4.99%
Southern Tier	2.48%	2.46%	2.49%
Western New York	6.57%	6.64%	6.37%
Statewide	5.25%	5.36%	5.38%

Each New York City borough’s 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

BOROUGH	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
Bronx	4.64%	4.78%	4.92%
Brooklyn	4.24%	4.33%	4.36%
Manhattan	2.75%	2.77%	2.72%
Queens	4.76%	4.80%	4.82%
Staten Island	5.11%	5.30%	5.38%

Of the 848,042 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	9,174	177
Allegany	1,559	22
Broome	7,004	66
Cattaraugus	2,037	26
Cayuga	2,020	67
Chautauqua	2,770	50
Chemung	4,083	55
Chenango	972	10
Clinton	795	18
Columbia	1,352	15
Cortland	1,713	25
Delaware	581	15
Dutchess	10,238	148
Erie	36,400	447
Essex	439	9
Franklin	576	18
Fulton	1,032	35
Genesee	2,041	41
Greene	987	18
Hamilton	82	1
Herkimer	1,451	50
Jefferson	1,302	37
Lewis	655	17
Livingston	1,398	46
Madison	1,865	45
Monroe	27,748	689
Montgomery	948	40
Nassau	76,322	901
Niagara	6,845	136
NYC	380,473	3,244
Oneida	9,405	227
Onondaga	17,586	319
Ontario	2,508	62
Orange	21,072	196
Orleans	1,056	38
Oswego	2,782	58
Otsego	1,005	15
Putnam	4,127	50
Rensselaer	3,168	77
Rockland	25,275	151
Saratoga	4,096	88
Schenectady	4,488	111
Schoharie	418	10
Schuyler	441	13
Seneca	586	20
St. Lawrence	1,584	38
Steuben	2,785	76
Suffolk	82,134	1,145
Sullivan	2,697	58
Tioga	1,471	20
Tompkins	1,781	53
Ulster	4,850	59
Warren	836	3
Washington	641	7
Wayne	1,977	40
Westchester	62,940	535
Wyoming	1,069	16
Yates	402	4

Yesterday, 123 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 28,598. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:

Deaths by County of Residence
County	New Deaths
Albany	1
Allegany	1
Bronx	3
Cattaraugus	2
Chemung	1
Cortland	4
Dutchess	1
Erie	13
Genesee	2
Herkimer	1
Kings	8
Livingston	1
Madison	2
Manhattan	4
Monroe	6
Montgomery	4
Nassau	7
Niagara	3
Oneida	5
Onondaga	11
Ontario	2
Orange	3
Oswego	1
Queens	6
Richmond	2
Rockland	5
Schenectady	1
Seneca	2
St. Lawrence	1
Steuben	2
Suffolk	9
Ulster	2
Westchester	6
Wyoming	1