In response to the news that the COVID-19 positivity rate had reached 9.1 percent here, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Monday released a statement saying, “The holiday spike that we were warned about is upon us.”
Bellone said New York State reported 1,037 new COVID-19 cases in Suffolk County out of 11,377 tests.
“Similar to numbers statewide, Suffolk County is continuing to see a surge in the number of new COVID-19 cases, which began about a month ago with the start of the holiday season,” he said. “With today’s positivity rate above 9 percent, we are trending towards uncharted territory during this second wave, and the holiday spike that we had warned about is upon us.”
The county executive doubled-down on warnings to avoid gatherings during New Year celebrations.
“With New Year’s Eve this week, we are again urging our residents to be cautious and to avoid small indoor gatherings, the largest spreader of COVID-19,” he said. “While I know many of our residents are used to grand celebrations this time of year, we have to remain vigilant to protect our communities, keep our businesses open, and ensure our hospitals are not overwhelmed.”
The new cases bring the total reported since March in Suffolk County to 91,179. With 9.1 percent of those tested turning up positive on Sunday — the last date for which reporting was available — the 7-day average in Suffolk County rose to 7.4 percent (it was 3.8 percent one month ago).
A spike in the testing positivity rate occurred throughout New York State and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said the state is investigating whether the surge is a result of a smaller pool of people being tested.
Countywide, 2,262 people have died of COVID-19, including 11 in the previous 24 hours. In all, 677 people were hospitalized, with 77 new admissions. Of that number, 104 patients required treatment in an intesive care unit, up one patient from the day before.
Hospital capacity, which is undergoing expansion under orders from the governor, stood at 3,235 beds of which 824 (25 percent) remained available. Of the county’s 438 ICU beds, 118 (27 percent) were available.
“Our residents did the impossible once, and we can do it again,” Bellone said. “Wear a mask and practice social distancing — we owe it to the health care heroes, first responders, and essential workers who have been carrying us through this crisis for the last 10 months.”
