NEW YORK — COVID-19 hospitalization rates continue to surge in New York City, state health officials reported Thursday, meaning an indoor dining ban could be just around the corner.
At least 1,578 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the five boroughs as of Thursday afternoon, an uptick of 162 as compared to this past Sunday, according to data from the state Department of Health.
Earlier this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would re-implement a prohibition on indoor dining in the city as early as this Monday if hospitalization rates did not stabilize.
The governor did not immediately say whether he would pull the trigger on an indoor dining ban, but he voiced concern about the spiking hospitalization rates.
“As we continue to see the number of COVID-19 cases surge across the nation, it is beyond critical that we ensure hospitals, and hospital systems as a whole, have developed additional capacity and are prepared to work cooperatively with each other to prevent any one facility from becoming overwhelmed,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Statewide, 5,164 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday, an uptick of 171 from the day before, according to the data.
The statewide test positivity rate also remained elevated at 5.15%, and another 92 New Yorkers died from the virus that has now killed more than 291,000 Americans, the data showed.
