Governor Cuomo Deploys Rapid Result Testing Machines to Address Recent Uptick in Cases in Cluster Zip Codes

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Governor detailed the uptick in cases and test positivity in select ZIP codes in New York State, where 27% of positive tests reported on Sunday came from ten ZIP codes where just 3% of the state's population resides, and 37% of positive cases came from 20 ZIP codes where just 6% of the state's population resides. The Governor also noted that while the state's overall positivity rate for Sunday's tests is 1.5%, the positivity rate outside of the top 20 ZIP codes for new cases was just 1%.

New York will deploy 200 rapid testing machines to the sites of several upticks in specific counties and zip codes throughout the state. The areas are Brooklyn, Orange County, Rockland County and the Southern Tier. New York State can provide Department of Health staff and rapid testing machines to zip codes and local governments that need them. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

"We're coming into the fall and all the health experts say you have to be careful about the fall. People go indoors, colleges open, and it's flu season. We have spikes in other states and we have a global spike," Governor Cuomo said. "We're also seeing in these numbers significant increases in localized clusters from Brooklyn, Orange and Rockland counties and the Southern Tier. This is the point of the testing we're doing, to be able to pinpoint and identify the clusters to find where the cases are coming from. We have specific zip codes in Brooklyn that we're going to be looking at because it's very localized and our health officials are going to be reaching out to those Brooklyn communities, and in Orange and Rockland communities today to do additional testing and compliance measures in those areas."

Areas that had high positivity rates and that will be subject of focused testing efforts including access to rapid testing machines are as follows, and will be updated as daily test results come in:

New York's slight uptick in statewide positive test results comes amid number of spikes in countries such as France, Spain and Israel and other states in the U.S.:

• Wisconsin: 18.5% positivity rate
• Iowa: 16.4% positivity rate
• Utah: 12.9% positivity rate
• Missouri: 12.3% positivity rate
• Florida: 10.8% positivity rate
• Arizona: 5.1% positivity rate

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 988 establishments in New York City and Long Island and observed 5 establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements. A county breakdown of yesterday's observed violations is below:

• Bronx - 2
• Suffolk - 3

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization - 543 (+2)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 63
• Hospital Counties - 33
• Number ICU - 135 (-20)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 57 (-2)
• Total Discharges - 76,649 (+54)
• Deaths - 11
• Total Deaths - 25,468

Of the 52,936 test results reported to New York State yesterday, 834, or 1.5 percent, were positive. Each region's percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

Each New York City borough's percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

The Governor also confirmed 834 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 456,460 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 456,460 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

Yesterday, there were 11 deaths due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 25,468. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence: