New York’s weekly tally of COVID-19 cases dropped about 18% last week as federal officials eased quarantine and testing guidelines while the nation braced for a potential surge in coronavirus infections this fall.
New York reported 40,023 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Sunday, down from 48,982 new cases the prior week.
New York ranked 25th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.
Nationally, COVID-19 cases increased about 2% from the week before, with 795,621 cases reported. Across the country, seven states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday issued new guidance that included a key update on what people should do if exposed to COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. It recommended that instead of quarantining, people should wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day five.
“We’re in a stronger place today as a nation, with more tools − like vaccination, boosters, and treatments − to protect ourselves, and our communities, from severe illness from COVID-19,” Greta Massetti, author of the CDC guidelines, said in a statement.
Massetti noted the guidance “acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives.”
The new rules also ended CDC’s prior support for screening testing of asymptomatic people without known exposures, which has major implications for schools in New York and across the nation that performed the screening tests last year.
While New York ended mandatory testing for unvaccinated educators previously, it remains unclear if screening testing will continue as state officials and school districts are now finalizing return-to-classroom policies.
COVID-19 continued to pose a comparatively higher threat in the New York City area, including parts of the Hudson Valley. A total of eight counties, including those in New York City, Long Island as well as Rockland, remained in the high risk category due to COVID-19 infection rates and strain on local hospitals, according to federal guidelines.
State and federal health officials urged people to wear masks indoors in public spaces in all counties within the high-risk category, regardless of vaccination status, to help curb the virus’ spread.
Meanwhile, New York’s COVID-19 death tally last week was 203, down slightly from the 221 deaths the prior week but still part of a summer plateau in coronavirus-related suffering that experts say means the disease remains more dangerous than the flu.
And the number of likely COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals across New York last week totaled 3,827, holding flat from the prior week and down slightly from a month ago.
Health:Polio virus found in NYC wastewater as disease path widens beyond Rockland, Orange
How COVID-19 is spreading in NY
- In the latest week, Westchester County saw its COVID-19 cases decline 19%, reporting 1,664 cases and nine deaths.
- Rockland County’s cases fell 19%, reporting 604 cases and one death.
- Putnam County’s cases remained flat, reporting 161 cases and one death.
- Orange County’s cases declined 16%, reporting 885 cases and 19 deaths.
- Dutchess County’s cases held flat, reporting 496 cases and four deaths.
- Upstate, Monroe County’s cases declined 4%, reporting 684 cases and five deaths.
- Broome County’s cases fell 11%, reporting 189 cases and zero deaths.
- Oneida County’s cases held flat, reporting 299 cases and zero deaths.
Across New York, cases fell in 39 counties, with the best declines in:
- Kings County, with 6,076 cases from 8,938 a week earlier.
- Queens County, with 6,626 cases from 9,315.
- Bronx County, with 4,101 cases from 5,647.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Within New York, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in:
- Staten Island with 332 cases per 100,000 per week.
- Queens County with 294.
- Bronx County with 289.
The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Weekly case counts rose in 23 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Nassau, Suffolk and Fulton counties.
A total of 5,906,949 people in New York have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 70,693 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 92,927,104 people have tested positive and 1,037,021 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
New York’s COVID-19 hospital admissions staying flat
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Aug. 14. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 3,827
- The week before that: 3,811
- Four weeks ago: 3,918
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 72,082
- The week before that: 71,315
- Four weeks ago: 70,906
Hospitals in 13 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 18 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 27 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
