New York's pandemic curve continues to remain a flat one.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office on Thursday reported hospitalizations from COVID-19 have fallen to their lowest level since March 18 with 518 patients. The infection rate, meanwhile, remains below 1% positive out of the tens of thousands of test results that have beenr returned. Five people died of COVID-19 in the last day, Cuomo said.
"Our state's continuing fight against COVID-19 has taken tremendous hard work and discipline from all New Yorkers, and we're seeing results—a new low for hospitalizations, 13 straight days of an infection rate below 1 percent and a match of a previous low for patients in ICUs," Cuomo said.
"I want to commend New Yorkers for practicing the basic daily behaviors—social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks—that make an enormous difference in our capacity to slow the spread, save lives and bring the state's infection rate from one of the nation's highest to one of its lowest. But now isn't the time to get complacent, and local governments must continue to enforce state guidance and New Yorkers must stay vigilant in the face of a continuing crisis throughout this country and around the world."
New York confirmed 601 new COVID cases in the last day out of 80,984 test results that were returned. The number of people in intensive care has also fallen to 120 cases, the lowest level since March 16.
There are spikes, however, in some parts of the state, including nearly two dozen cases confirmed in Essex County in the Adirondack Park.