NEW YORK — New York state’s daily COVID19 positivity rate inched past 1% over the weekend, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, as officials focus on the highly contagious delta variant of the deadly virus.
Out of the COVID-19 tests registered on Saturday, 1.02% came back positive, up from 0.82% a day before, the governor’s office said.
The seven-day average positivity rate — seen as a more reliable indicator — also went up, to 0.84% from 0.79%.
In New York City, Staten Island saw the highest seven-day positivity rate in the five boroughs, at 1.42%. Others were below 1%.
One COVID-19 death was reported for Saturday, putting the state’s official death toll at 43,010. Other sources that account for likely but unconfirmed COVID-19 deaths put the number far higher — the state has had more than 53,000 COVID-19 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The slight uptick in the infection rate comes as the delta variant, first found in India, has become the dominant strain in the U.S.
Cuomo insisted the latest numbers still show “steady progress toward slaying this COVID beast.”
“The vaccine remains our most effective weapon in this ongoing fight, which is why we continue to target areas that have a lower vaccination rate and focus our resources there,” said the governor.
