Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic

Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.21 Percent

Positive Testing Rate in Hot Spot Areas is 3.31 Percent; New York State Positivity Without Red Zone Focus Areas Included is 1.13 Percent

14 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

Expanded Community Testing Continues This Week In Southern Tier, Western New York Counties Along PA Border

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

"New York has one of the lowest positivity rates in the nation, but cases are rising across the nation. When we put our infection rate in context, we're doing well - and we're doing well because we're aggressive when we see hot spots. Our micro-cluster approach for the fall targets outbreaks sooner, and with a targeted focus," Governor Cuomo said. "We all hope the winter will be the season of the vaccine, but administering the vaccine will be the largest operational challenge we've faced since this began, and we need the federal government to step up. In the meantime, we all need to work to maintain our progress by continuing to wear our masks, wash our hands, remain socially distant and above all, stay New York Tough."

The Governor updated New Yorkers on the State's response to COVID-19. In "Red Zone" focus areas included as part of the Governor's Cluster Action Initiative, the positivity rate for test results reported yesterday is 3.31 percent - up from 3.19 percent the day before.

Within the "Red Zone" focus areas, 3,016 test results were reported yesterday, yielding 100 positives or a 3.31 percent positivity rate. In the remainder of the state, not counting these "Red Zone" focus areas, 78,993 test results were reported, yielding 898 positives or a 1.13 percent positivity rate. The state's overall positivity rate is 1.21 percent with focus areas included. The "Red Zone" focus areas are home to 2.8 percent of the state population yet had 10 percent of all positive test results reported to the state yesterday.

FOCUS ZONE	9/27-10/3 % Positive	10/4- 10/10 % Positive	10/11 - 10/17% Positive	Day Prior (10/17 % Positive	Yesterday (10/18) % Positive
Brooklyn red-zone focus area % positive	6.69%	5.86%	5.29%	4.92%	4.60%
Queens Kew Garden Hills/Forest Hills red-zone focus area % positive	3.82%	3.71%	2.58%	2.35%	1.40%
Queens Far Rockaway red-zone focus area % positive	2.33%	2.88%	2.08%	1.37%	0.93%
Rockland % red-zone focus area % positive	12.29%	9.77%	4.54%	2.22%	2.68%
Orange red-zone focus area % positive	24.64%	12.41%	4.62%	1.04%	1.35%
All red-zone focus area % positive	6.91%	6.13%	4.42%	3.19%	3.32%
Statewide % positive with red-zone focus areas included	1.25%	1.18%	1.16%	1.08%	1.21%
Statewide % positive without red-zone focus areas included	1.02%	1.01%	1.06%	1.00%	1.13%

	9/27-10/3	10/4- 10/10	10/11- 10/17	Day Prior (10/17)	Yesterday (10/18)
Percentage of state's positive cases coming from red-zone focus areas	21.8%	17.6%	11.5%	10.6%	10.0%

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

Patient Hospitalization - 934 (+21)
Patients Newly Admitted - 98
Hospital Counties - 41
Number ICU - 198 (-2)
Number ICU with Intubation - 106 (+4)
Total Discharges - 78,442 (+80)
Deaths - 14
Total Deaths - 25,659

The Governor also announced the Department of Health is continuing to partner with counties and local health departments to open new rapid testing sites and expand existing community testing options in communities in Southern Tier and Western New York counties along Pennsylvania border that have seen recent upticks in cases.

Testing sites that will be open to the public for free rapid result tests this week are listed below. Additional hours and locations will be added as needed:

Chautauqua County:

Jamestown Training Grounds, 240 Harrison Street, Jamestown, NY 14701

Dunkirk Training Grounds, 665 Brigham Road, Dunkirk, NY 14048

To make appointment, follow the links for Jamestown, Dunkirk respectively.

Cattaraugus County:

Allegany Fire Hall, 1st Street (West Main St), Allegany, NY 14706

Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday

To make appointment: Any resident of Cattaraugus County can register by going to this link or calling (716) 938-9119 or (716) 938-2265

Allegany County:

Belmont BOCES Center, 5718 County Road 48, Belmont, NY 14813

Community testing Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

To make appointment: (585) 268-9250, press #4, to schedule an appointment for testing

Riverwalk Plaza, 121 Bolivar Road, Wellsville, NY 14895

Testing Days/Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10/20-10/23: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

To make appointment: (585) 268-9250, press #4 to schedule an appointment for testing

Chemung County:

Washington Elementary School (Elmira School District Administration Building)

430 Washington Ave, Elmira 14901

Expanded testing starting: Tuesday 10/20 - 10/24; Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.To make appointment, follow this link.

Steuben County:

Beartown Road Alliance Church, 21 Beartown Rd., Painted Post, NY 14870

Testing Monday - Friday (Variable hours)

To make an appointment, follow this link.

Tioga County:

Village Town Hall, 32 Ithaca St, Waverly 14892 H

Wednesday 12-6, Thursday and Friday 10-6

To make appointment, follow this link.

Each region's percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

REGION	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
Capital Region	0.6%	0.9%	1.1%
Central New York	0.7%	1.2%	1.1%
Finger Lakes	0.9%	1.3%	1.5%
Long Island	1.0%	1.1%	1.0%
Mid-Hudson	1.6%	1.4%	1.4%
Mohawk Valley	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%
New York City	1.2%	1.1%	1.3%
North Country	0.3%	0.7%	1.3%
Southern Tier	1.4%	0.9%	1.2%
Western New York	1.4%	1.6%	0.9%

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

BOROUGH	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
Bronx	1.20%	1.5%	1.2%
Brooklyn	1.50%	1.5%	1.5%
Manhattan	0.70%	0.6%	0.8%
Queens	1.30%	0.9%	1.6%
Staten Island	1.40%	1.4%	1.3%

Of the 485,279 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	3,427	11
Allegany	212	7
Broome	2,927	31
Cattaraugus	406	3
Cayuga	294	5
Chautauqua	799	3
Chemung	1,292	48
Chenango	330	17
Clinton	199	2
Columbia	651	4
Cortland	416	10
Delaware	159	0
Dutchess	5,340	12
Erie	12,468	17
Essex	194	2
Franklin	77	0
Fulton	359	0
Genesee	371	0
Greene	474	2
Hamilton	16	0
Herkimer	370	0
Jefferson	191	3
Lewis	56	0
Livingston	243	4
Madison	536	3
Monroe	6,744	37
Montgomery	255	1
Nassau	48,657	61
Niagara	1,961	3
NYC	254,771	419
Oneida	2,594	1
Onondaga	5,021	10
Ontario	586	10
Orange	13,182	13
Orleans	363	1
Oswego	587	3
Otsego	367	3
Putnam	1,739	3
Rensselaer	1,034	7
Rockland	17,207	36
Saratoga	1,213	6
Schenectady	1,507	9
Schoharie	100	0
Schuyler	93	5
Seneca	128	1
St. Lawrence	363	5
Steuben	873	16
Suffolk	48,080	51
Sullivan	1,680	5
Tioga	448	13
Tompkins	548	8
Ulster	2,415	4
Warren	438	0
Washington	326	0
Wayne	383	4
Westchester	39,548	72
Wyoming	167	1
Yates	94	6

Yesterday, 14 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 25,659. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence: