ALBANY, N.Y. — While the news remains mostly good on the COVID-19 front for New York State, the number of virus variants continues to rise.
In a release Tuesday, the state says 18 new cases of the UK strain have been identified in New York bringing the total to 154 identified cases of the strain. Two of these cases are the first identified cases of the variant in Erie County.
Other counties in Western New York that have already seen cases of the UK strain include Niagara County and Allegany County.
In addition, a second South African variant has been identified in Nassau County.
Overall, the statewide positivity rate currently stands at 4.23 percent. There are currently 5,977 patients hospitalized with the virus statewide. There were 86 COVID-19 related deaths on Monday.
In the WNY region, the current seven-day average of positive test results stands at 2.44 percent. The WNY region includes Erie, Niagara, Allegany, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties.
