7-day average of new COVID-19 cases holds steady over last week, state figures show
Gov. Kathy Hochul at her midtown Manhattan office on Sunday. Credit: Jeff Bachner
The 7-day average of new COVID-19 cases on Long Island has held steady over the last week according to figures released by the state on Sunday.
There were 4,495 new positive COVID-19 test results reported on Saturday, including 419 in Nassau County and 547 in Suffolk County.
The rate of new cases over a 7-day period on Long Island was 4.31% — the exact same number as last Sunday.
But officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul urged New Yorkers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot.
"New York State continues to battle COVID-19, and it's vital that we address the Delta variant by getting as many people vaccinated as we possibly can," Hochul said in a statement. "To everyone eligible who has not yet received their shot—join the millions of New Yorkers who've gotten vaccinated and keep your friends and neighbors safe."
The state said 27 deaths to COVID-19 were reported on Saturday including two in Nassau County and three in Suffolk County.
There is also concern that COVID-19 cases among children could rise as the school year continues.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics most recent report as of August 26, more than 200,000 new cases of children with COVID-19 were added over the last week of available statistics.
The AAP said child cases of COVID-19 have "increased exponentially, with over a five-fold increase the past month, rising from about 38,000 cases the week ending July 22nd to nearly 204,000 the past week."
Last week, Hochul said she was working with state health officials to establish a plan for mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated public and charter school employees as well as making vaccines mandatory for staffers who work at state-regulated facilities and congregate settings.
Meanwhile, efforts to provide booster shots to fully-vaccinated people may not make the Sept. 20 date set by President Joe Biden, White House officials said Sunday.
Officials said the boosters would not be administered without the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a vital advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials said.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview on CBS’ "Face the Nation" said it is "likely" that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could receive those approvals by Sept. 20.
One of the sites taking part in the clinical trial of booster shots for autoimmune patients is the Manhasset-based Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of Northwell Health.
Also on Sunday, Hochul reminded New Yorkers who may have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic that the state’s Department of Labor offers resources such as training and an online job search portal to help them return to the workforce or find new careers.
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
