For third time this week, LI logs some 600 new cases of COVID-19, state data shows

Long Island logged around 600 new daily cases of COVID-19 for the third time this week, while the number of people hospitalized with the virus surpassed 1,000 in the state, according to data released Friday.

At the same time, a leading infectious disease expert on Long Island says more than 80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients locally and statewide have the delta variant, and that the country is confronting almost a different epidemic now because the variant is so distinct from the original virus.

"Delta has taken over the epidemic, both locally and nationally, and I expect that trend to continue," said Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of infectious disease at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park.

"Right now, delta owns the COVID world. It’s a more virulent, it’s a more contagious virus," he said. "Quite frankly, it’s almost like a different virus."

Like Northwell Health, where Farber works, Stony Brook University Hospital does not have complete statistics on what percentage of its COVID-19 patients have the delta variant, since they can submit a limited number of tests to the state for analysis, said Dr. Susan Donelan, medical director of health care epidemiology at Stony Brook Medicine.

But the samples the hospital sent to the state Wadsworth laboratory determined that 90% of the positive swabs taken between July 11 and July 19 were the delta variant, Donelon said.

In the latest indicators, Nassau County logged 318 new cases of COVID-19 in test results from Thursday, and Suffolk County registered 314, for a total of 632, state data showed.

Long Island logged 598 new cases in test results from Wednesday and 624 in test results from Monday. As recently as June, the Islandwide total was well under 100.

New York City registered 1,935 new confirmed cases in results from Thursday.

NY hospitalizations top 1,000

The number of people hospitalized with the virus in the state rose by 72, to 1,050, state figures show. At Stony Brook, the number has increased to 28, compared with five on July 23.

Medical experts said the rise in cases is being fueled by the rapid spread of the delta variant, the large number of people still unvaccinated, and the relaxing of mandates such as mask wearing and social distancing.

Still, the state's vaccination rate is up 40% from three weeks ago, with 50,000 new residents receiving their vaccinations weekly, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday.

"New Yorkers are doing the right thing to protect their communities, and keeping vaccination rates up is crucial as we near 'back to school' season," Cuomo said in a statement.

The seven-day average for positivity in testing for the virus was 3.36% on Long Island, the first time in weeks it has declined from the previous day, when it was 3.37%.

On June 29, the average on Long Island was 0.35%.

Statewide, the seven-day average has risen over the last three days from 2.70% to 2.74% to 2.79%, state data shows.

Five people died on Thursday from causes related to the virus. None of the fatalities was on Long Island.

Farber told Newsday in an interview that many of the conclusions and the guidance scientists and doctors initially issued regarding the virus are no longer valid because the delta variant was so different.

Several variants have developed, "but all of those pale in comparison to the delta virus in terms of its level of infectivity," said Farber, of Northwell Health.

A far larger number of people must get vaccinated "to really clamp down dramatically on spreading this infection," he said.

He also said one dose of the two-dose vaccinations — Pfizer and Moderna — was not enough protection, and both shots must be taken.

Farber said mask wearing indoors must be seriously considered now with the delta variant spreading.

"We know that masks help significantly," he said. "I hope that kids mask in schools."

But he added that he hoped the state would not have to institute widespread lockdowns again like in 2020.

Fake vaccination card warning

Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday warned residents against using fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, saying they undermine the fight to eradicate the virus and also could land people in jail.

"Not only do fake and fraudulently completed vaccination cards violate federal and state laws and the public trust, but they also put the health of our communities at risk and potentially prolong this public health crisis," James said in a statement.

"I strongly urge New Yorkers to reject these fake vaccination cards and get the COVID-19 vaccine, so that we can move forward from this pandemic and return to normalcy as soon as possible."

James did not say how widespread she thinks the problem is or offer any statistics on the number of fake vaccination cards being sold.

She noted that the pandemic crisis was turning more severe with the delta variant.

Falsifying vaccine cards and records, as well as the unauthorized use of seals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, violate both federal and New York State laws, James said.

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