The highly contagious strain of Covid-19 recently discovered in the UK has reached New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.
State health officials said they detected a case of the strain on a man in Saratoga County. The new variant, which is known to spread 70% faster than previous versions of the virus, was first detected in the United States in a Colorado man, health officials reported last week.
The New York man is associated with N. Fox Jewelers in Saratoga Springs, a business where other people tested positive for the virus, New York State officials said. Officials urged anyone visiting the store from Dec. 18 to take the test.
A hand sanitizer station inside N. Fox Jewelers in Saratoga Springs, New York, in May.
Photo:
Cindy Schultz for The Wall Street Journal
Identification of the new strain in New York occurred as Covid-19 hospitalizations and positivity rates continued to rise around the state, primarily in areas north of the Hudson Valley.
Another 170 New Yorkers died Sunday as a result of the Covid-19 and 8,251 people across the state were hospitalized, the Democratic governor said. This is the highest hospitalization figure since May 7, according to state data. Calculated in an average of seven days, 71% of available hospital beds in the state are occupied.
The number of people hospitalized is higher in the northern regions of the state that were not as affected as New York City during the initial wave of the pandemic this spring. The highest positivity rates are given in the Mohawk Valley and Finger Lakes regions; the latter includes the city of Rochester.
“If you are in these areas of the state, take it seriously. You should use more precautions than people in other parts of the state, ”Cuomo told a news conference.
He said he would order more shutdowns only if the data show hospitals would be outgrown. New York currently bans meetings of more than ten people statewide and bans food in New York City.
Dan McCoy, an Albany County executive, said Monday that the number of Covid-19 hospitalized patients has surpassed its record high for the past three consecutive days.
Dan McCoy, Albany County executive, reported in a briefing Monday that Covid-19 hospitalizations have broken records in recent days.
Photo:
Albany County Executive Office Daniel P. McCoy
On Monday, he urged people to stay home and support takeaway restaurants and called on school districts to pause face-to-face learning for a week or two instead of resuming after the holidays.
“Leave only if necessary. If you can stay home, stay home. Don’t travel if you don’t have to, “said Democrat Mr. McCoy.” Everything will have consequences in the future. “
Only the state has the authority to close school buildings or order restrictions on activities such as canteens, personal care and gyms.
Cuomo said earlier in July that it would close schools in a region where the seven-day average positivity rate exceeded 9%. But on Monday he said schools could remain open if data show the school’s positivity rate was lower than surrounding communities. According to the governor, it would depend on individual districts.
The Mohawk Valley had the state’s seven-day positivity rate, at 10.4 percent, state officials said Monday. Anthony Picente, a Oneida County executive with an office in Utica, agreed with Mr. Cuomo’s approach.
“I can’t say I want to see things closed, because I think it won’t fix it,” said Mr. Picente, a Republican. “It’s the behavior, the education that we need to continue, and hopefully we’ll have to get this vaccine out faster to curb that tide.”
Write to Jimmy Vielkind to [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8