Hospitalizations up

Gov. Cuomo says most cases are in virus “red zones” downstate and in NYC.

The number of people being hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus in New York has increased by more than 70 percent over the past month, according to the most recent numbers released Sunday.

The number of COVID -19 patients hospitalized statewide Saturday was 820, compared with 474 hospitalizations on Sept. 11.

Patients in intensive care units were also up to 186 Saturday, compared with 120 people a month ago, an increase of 55 percent.

Fatalities, however, continue to remain low, with five deaths reported statewide Saturday.

On a call with reporters Sunday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo briefly mentioned that people who are being hospitalized at greater rates are those who live in COVID -19 “hotspot” zones, or what the state is now calling “red zones.” However, the governor did not provide a breakdown of how many of the hospitalizations are from those areas, which are in Orange and Rockland counties, as well as in Brooklyn and Queens.

Cuomo said the infections are predominantly in Jewish communities, where people are continuing to go to worship services in large numbers.

The red-zone areas are “primarily in the Hasidic community,” Cuomo said, “but they are in those geographic areas and anyone in those geographic areas are more likely to come in contact with the virus.”

“I understand the desire to hold large religious ceremonies,” the governor added. “I understand how important it is to their culture and religion. I also understand that it, as a matter of fact, jeopardizes human life.”

New York’s rate of positive infections remained below 1 percent on Saturday, with 0.96 percent of test results coming back positive.

The rate of positive test results in the so-called red zones was significantly higher on Saturday than the rest of the state — 5.79 percent — although that number had decreased slightly from the 6.19 percent average for the week in those areas.

The red-zone areas accounted for nearly 15 percent of the state’s positive test results on Saturday. Cuomo has responded by recently closing businesses and prohibiting certain activities, including large gatherings, in those areas, stoking protests.

Western New York continues to have the highest rate of positive test results among the state’s 10 regions, and on Saturday that rate was 1.4 percent positive for coronavirus. Cuomo said it is more difficult to control in the western part of the state because the cases are spread out and there are no clusters that have been identified. There also appear to be increasing numbers of cases in counties that straddle the Pennsylvania border, including Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, the governor’s office said.