Slight drop in state disease and death rate

New York State’s COVID-19 positivity rate and deaths fell slightly Friday as officials continue to wrestle with a “limited supply” of vaccine and a more contagious variant of the virus, Gov. Cuomo said.

In a Saturday statement on the latest data, Cuomo said 5.77% of people taking COVID tests were found to have the disease, down from Thursday’s rate of 6.14%. He added that 157 people died, compared with Thursday’s figure of 183 deaths.

An additional case of the highly contagious U.K. variant of COVID-19 also was identified Friday, bringing the number of known cases of that variant in New York to 17.

“New York is fighting to beat back COVID as we distribute the limited vaccine available as quickly as possible,” Cuomo said in the statement.

Demand is outpacing vaccine supply in the city, where at least one hospital was forced to cancel appointments for the coronavirus shot and people were turned away for a second day as they waited Friday for shots at the Brooklyn Army Terminal.

In a statewide breakdown of the seven-day average percentage of positive test results, Long Island on Friday remained the highest at 8.06%, while the city’s average was 5.66%. In the city, Manhattan had the lowest rate, at 3.76%, and the Bronx the highest, at 7.35%.

The highest number of deaths Friday were reported in Queens, where 17 people succumbed to the virus, followed by Brooklyn with 16 and Suffolk County with 15.

“When communities decide to slow the spread, it will slow down. It’s purely a function of our actions,” Cuomo said in his statement, restating mitigation including wearing face masks, social distancing, handwashing — “and the willingness of local governments to enforce the rules.”