A person walks past an advertisement in a bus shelter in front of the Pfizer Headquarters building in the Manhattan borough of New York, Dec 7, 2020. (Photo: Agencies)
NEW YORK - A total of 242,927 COVID-19 test results were reported to New York state on Friday, a new record high, and total hospitalizations also rose to a peak of 5,359, said an official release on Saturday.
Of the 242,927 COVID-19 tests, 11,129 were positive, or 4.58 percent of the total, down from 4.98 percent one day earlier, it said.
"COVID cases are continuing to climb nationwide and with the holiday season in full swing. It could get worse before it gets better," Governor Andrew Cuomo was quoted as saying.
"The federal government must do its job and provide resources to state and local governments to equitably administer the vaccine and provide badly needed support for businesses and the unemployed," he said.
Meanwhile, the governor stressed that the state is laser focused on ensuring the increase in cases does not overwhelm the hospital system and it is putting in place redundancies to shore them up.
"Ultimately, it's up to each of us to slow the spread of this virus until there is widespread access to a vaccine: wear a mask, socially distance, wash your hands and stay vigilant," he added.
According to Cuomo's tweet on Saturday, total hospitalizations were 5,359 on Friday, up from 5,321 on Thursday. He once warned that the state's COVID-19 hospitalizations could reach 6,000 in weeks based on the current up-trends.
As of Saturday evening, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 35,441 coronavirus deaths in New York state, the worst in the country.
