Another spike in COVID-19 cases on Long Island — to more than 1,200

The daily number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Long Island spiked to more than 1,200 in test results released Friday in another post-Labor Day holiday weekend surge, while the delta variant killed 43 more people in the state.

The reported surge came a day after President Joe Biden, in the most aggressive action by a U.S. president against a virus in decades, ordered sweeping new mandates to try to bring the pandemic under control a year and a half after it broke out.

Nassau County registered 545 new cases in test results Thursday, while Suffolk had 728, for a total of 1,273.

The previous day, Long Island registered 928 new cases. As recently as June, the region was logging well under 100 cases a day.

But the highly contagious delta variant, the relaxation of most COVID-19 mitigation efforts, and the refusal of many people to get vaccinated are sending the numbers spiraling up after many people thought — or hoped — the pandemic was nearing an end earlier this summer.

In the latest data released by the state, a total of 43 people died Thursday of causes linked to the virus. In June, that daily figure was in single digits. The latest deaths included two in Nassau and one in Suffolk.

Vaccinations will end pandemic

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that vaccinations remained the ultimate solution to the persistent pandemic, and that she was targeting one segment with low inoculation levels — young people ages 12 to 17.

"Many New Yorkers are continuing to catch COVID-19 as we work to fight the pandemic across the state," she said in a statement Friday. "Although many have gotten vaccinated, we need to push those numbers even higher to defeat this virus for good."

Biden, expressing blunt frustration with the 80 million Americans who are eligible for the COVID-19 shots but have refused to get them, announced from the White House on Thursday that all companies with 100 or more employees must require their workers to get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

He also said federal employees and contractors must be vaccinated, along with health care workers who treat patients on Medicare or Medicaid in hospitals, at home, or in other medical facilities.

Medical experts fear that if the pandemic is not brought under control soon, a new variant that is resistant to the current vaccines could emerge, inflicting even more deaths and hospitalizations.

On Long Island, the seven-day average for positivity in testing for COVID-19 dipped slightly on Thursday from the previous day, to 4.33%. The figure was 0.35% on June 29.

The statewide figure also dropped slightly on Thursday, to 3.30%.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus dropped by 37, to 2,390.

Vaccines for extracurriculars at NYC schools

In New York City, public schoolchildren aged 12 and older participating in extracurricular performing arts — such as chorus, musical theater, dance, marching band, cheerleading and orchestra — must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or can't take part, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.

"We’re talking about performing arts, where folks are close together, close contact, lots of exhaling, obviously … with the woodwinds, lots of heavy exertion with the dance, cheerleading, etc.," he told WNYC’s Brian Lehrer on the mayor's weekly radio appearance.

Weeks ago, de Blasio imposed an identical mandate for extracurricular athletics that are said to involve close contact, such as football, lacrosse and wrestling.

The mandates start when the extracurricular commences.

"The deadline is to be able to participate. So, this is immediately, obviously. School is starting on Monday. These extracurricular activities will be starting very soon," de Blasio said Friday.

About two-thirds of young people in the city ages 12 to 17 have already been vaccinated, he has said.

Several school systems around the country — including in Golden, Colorado; Danville, Virginia; and most high schools in New Orleans — have imposed vaccine mandates for all students participating in any extracurricular activity.

So far, de Blasio said he had no plans to impose a vaccine mandate for students, as the Los Angeles school district announced this week, a policy taking effect in January.

"You know, we will look at things as we go along, but I don't see that," de Blasio told Lehrer. "It's not on the table now."

A labor arbitrator based in Port Washington ruled on Friday that New York City teachers and certain other school personnel who are granted medical or religious exceptions to the school system vaccine mandate must be granted alternative assignments.

Mediating a grievance by the United Federation of Teachers labor union, arbitrator Martin Scheinman said a worker granted an exemption can remain on payroll "but in no event required/permitted to enter a school building while unvaccinated."

De Blasio’s press office didn’t immediately return a message Friday night seeking comment.

Sign up to get text alerts about COVID-19 and other topics at newsday.com/text