December 20, 2020
Albany, NY

Governor Cuomo Calls on the Federal Government to Take Action in Wake of Highly Contagious Variant of COVID-19 Virus Circulating in the United Kingdom

6,185 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide

1,045 Patients in the ICU; 600 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 5.05%

123 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

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

Contact the Governor's Press Office

Contact us by phone:

Albany: (518) 474 - 8418
New York City: (212) 681 - 4640

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