NEW YORK _ The statewide coronavirus numbers continued to trend downward, with more than 99% of the most recent tests coming back negative, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday.
Only 703 of the 73,262 tests conducted Friday indicated coronavirus infection, while patient hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care units also declined.
"Today's numbers show a continued, steady decline in our hospitalization and death rates, and proves that a response based on science, not politics, is the only way to defeat this virus," the governor said.
"While this is good news, New Yorkers cannot become complacent _ we must continue to remain vigilant and smart in the fight against COVID-19."
In New York City, the epicenter of the virus, only 1% of the Friday tests came back positive while the figure for Long Island was less than 1 percent. And new statewide patient hospitalizations stood at 908, down 43 from Thursday's numbers.
The governor also announced 703 new cases of COVID-19, as the statewide total of victims inched toward 400,000. There were also 13 deaths on Friday, with the New York state total now at 24,380.
