Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the
state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. New York State has
conducted 12 million COVID-19 tests. In "Red Zone" focus areas
included as part of the Governor's Cluster Action Initiative, the positivity
rate for test results reported yesterday is 5.74 percent and 6.13 percent for
the past week. These "Red Zone" focus areas are home to 2.8 percent
of state's population, yet have had 17.6 percent of all positive cases reported
this week to New York State.
New York State's positivity rate without the Red Zone focus
areas included was 0.84 percent for yesterday's test results. The state's
overall positivity rate - with Red Zone focus areas included - dropped to 0.96
percent yesterday, under 1 percent for the first time since September 24.
"We're dealing with a very specific situation, which is
the clusters. Overall the state is doing very well. We have a sophisticated
testing mechanism where we take, now, more tests per day than most states take
per week. That allows us to do a very granular analysis. Most states don't have
that capacity or don't have that desire," Governor Cuomo said.
"Because we test as much as we do, and because we have such an ability to
target, we then see clusters and we can track cases in very small clusters.
We're now tracking a cluster in about 2 or 3 percent of the population. No
other state has this discussion because no other state has the ability to
target that way. We do, and that's a good thing because when you can target a
specific cluster, it means you can attack a specific cluster. Attacking a
cluster is much easier than trying to attack a statewide increasing rate."
Within the "Red Zone" focus areas, 2,961 test
results were reported yesterday, yielding 170 positives or a 5.74 percent
positivity rate. In the remainder of the state, not counting these "Red
Zone" focus areas, 115,293 test results were reported, yielding 973
positives or a 0.84 percent positivity rate.
The "Red Zone" focus areas are home to 2.8 percent of the state population yet had 14.9 percent of all positive test results reported to the state yesterday, and 17.6 percent of all positive case results reported to the state this week. The positivity rate for test results this past week in the "Red Zone" areas has been 6.13 percent, down slightly from the prior week.
