NYC Coronavirus Trackers See 3-Day Uptick As City Reopens

NEW YORK CITY — New York City saw this week three days of increasing novel coronavirus-linked hospitalizations and percentages of people testing positive for the virus, city data show.

The uptick comes as the city reopens and a little less than two weeks after thousands of people crowded in the streets to protest police brutality, which both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo fear could cause a second wave of COVID-19.

New York City saw Tuesday 69 hospitalizations linked to COVID-19 and three percent of those tested receiving positive results, the Mayor's office announced Thursday.

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in NYC, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

That's up from 67 admissions to the New York City Health + Hospital system Monday and just 52 admissions Sunday, city data show.

Percentages reached an all time low on Sunday at 1 percent testing positive for COVID-19, but that number has held steady at 3 percent Monday and Tuesday.

The uptick correlates with a three-day increase in New York state's COVID-19 death toll, which reached a record low of 35 Saturday and then rose to 39 Monday, 46 Tuesday and 53 Wednesday.

The Mayor's office releases three tracking indicators daily, as it has done throughout the pandemic, to monitor the spread of the virus and gage when it might be safe to reopen.

New York City entered into the first phase of reopening Monday, when an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 workers were allowed to return to jobs in construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail.

To earn the right to reopen from the Governor's office, New York City had to reach threshold levels in hospitalizations, ICU admittances and testing percentages, and must stay below them to remain open.

New York City's phase one thresholds are 200 COVID-19-related hospitalizations per day, 375 ICU (or critical) patients per day, and a 15 percent testing rate.

The number of people in intensive care units has wavered at about 340 — just 35 below the threshold — for three days, with 337 patients on Sunday and Tuesday and 341 patients Monday.

Update: New York state lost 36 lives to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the Governor's office announced about an hour after article was published.

Coronavirus In NYC: Latest Happenings And Guidance

Email PatchNYC@patch.com to reach a Patch reporter or fill out this anonymous form to share your coronavirus stories. All messages are confidential.