NY Coronavirus Rate Increase 'Improbable': Cuomo

LONG ISLAND, NY — With Christmas over, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said he hoped New Yorkers celebrated smartly so the state can avoid a shutdown. He said the state's positive coronavirus test rate increased and an investigation is ongoing to determine why.

The positive test rate Sunday was 8.3 percent, an increase from Friday's total of 5.9 percent. Long Island's positive test rate was 6.7 percent Sunday.

The statewide increase seemed "statistically improbable," Cuomo said.

One theory is those who were tested because they were traveling were not included in the post-Christmas count, when fewer individuals were tested, he said. Those tested after Christmas were likely going for tests because they showed symptoms and thought they might be positive, he added.

"So the sample is artificially skewed," he said. "Fewer people got tested and more were showing symptoms. The number of positive cases didn't go up — the number of people tested went down by almost half."

Also, Cuomo said urgent care tests increased; people who show coronavirus symptoms are more likely to go to urgent care facilities.

Statewide, 114 more people died of the coronavirus, Cuomo said. Hospitalizations increased by 376, with 35 of those in intensive care and 30 intubated.

Several other states have also seen increases in positive test rates, including California (8 percent to 13 percent), Florida (8 percent to 11 percent) and Texas (2 percent to 9 percent), Cuomo said, adding it might be a national phenomenon.

Vaccinations continue to be the "only really piece of good news we had in 2020," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said 140,000 New Yorkers have received the first dose of the vaccine, the most in the country. Another 259,000 doses are expected to be delivered this week, with 126,600 of those allocated to Long Island, he said.

In other news, Cuomo said the eviction moratorium will be extended and a plan to allow fans back into Bills Stadium if they test negative for the virus is still being explored.

"This is not just about attending a football game," Cuomo said. "We are trying to find a way to use our technology and reopen businesses. We can't make it six, nine, twelve months with a closed-down economy ... The model the Department of Health is working on is smart: How do you use testing to reopen businesses?"