ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office provided an update Saturday morning regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the New York State Department of Health, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 across New York State dropped to 5,445 on Friday, which is the lowest this number has been since December 12, 2020.
Here in the Western New York region, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations also saw a decrease. As of Friday, 194 people were hospitalized in the region, which equates to .01 percent of the region's population. The state reports that 38 percent of hospital beds would be available within seven days under a "surge plan."
Meanwhile, the region's percent positive rate dropped from 1.93 percent on Thursday to 1.9 percent on Friday.
"New Yorkers have shown strength and resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we're going to need more of it as we work to get everyone vaccinated across the state," Governor Cuomo said.
"The footrace between the positivity rate and the vaccination rate is progressing in our favor and we've been able to reopen different sectors of our economy, but we still need more vaccines to propel us over the finish line. We have continuously opened more vaccination sites as our supply allows, and we're ready to get shots in arms as quickly and fairly as possible as our allocations increase. We can get to the light at the end of the tunnel, but we're going to need to stay safe and vigilant and care for our fellow New Yorkers."
The state reports that 85 New Yorkers died Friday from COVID-19. This brings the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the state to 38,407.