New York cases plummet 34.5%, future of masks in schools uncertain as some students start break
New York's COVID-19 cases dropped 34.5% last week as students headed into February break on Monday.
The state added 22,135 new coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, down from the previous week's tally of 33,811 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
New York ranked 47th 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.
New York saw a precipitous drop in confirmed COVID infections since the winter surge's daily peak of 90,000 cases on Jan. 7. The declining numbers triggered the loosening of public restrictions across the state, with Gov. Kathy Hochul dropping the statewide mask mandate for businesses earlier this month.
February break's impact on infections in New York could help determine the fate of masks in schools statewide. Hochul said she's eyeing early March as a potential expiration period for a mask mandate among students and staff, if pediatric vaccination rates improve and coronavirus cases continue to drop.
"The vaccine is still the most effective weapon we have in beating this pandemic, which is why it's so important that we continue to encourage New Yorkers to take advantage of this critical tool," Hochul said in a statement last week.
As of Feb. 15, 39.6% of children ages 5-11 in New York had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and and 31.7% had completed their initial vaccine series, according to the governor's office.
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How COVID is spreading in NY
With 5.84% of the country's population, New York had 3.07% of the country's cases in the last week.
Across the country, three states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
In the latest week, coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 42% from the week before, with 722,053 cases reported.
- In the latest week, Westchester County's cases dropped 22%, reporting 954 cases and 14 deaths.
- Rockland County's cases decreased by 50%, reporting 270 cases and four deaths.
- Putnam County's cases fell by 18%, reporting 117 cases and zero deaths.
- In upstate, Monroe County saw coronavirus cases fall 37%, reporting 702 cases and seven deaths.
- Broome County's cases dropped nearly 20%, reporting 449 cases and three deaths.
- Oneida County's cases declined 33%, reporting 396 cases and nine deaths.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
New York ranked 8th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 88.6% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 76.1%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.
In the week ending Saturday, New York reported administering another 311,772 vaccine doses, including 65,163 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 460,337 vaccine doses, including 108,135 first doses.
In all, New York reported it has administered 37,573,510 total doses.
Within New York, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in:
- Clinton County with 357 cases per 100,000 per week.
- Orange County with 318.
- Franklin County with 304.
The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
In New York, 443 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 763 people were reported dead.
A total of 4,908,315 people in New York have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 66,966 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 78,479,134 people have tested positive and 935,335 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
New York's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Feb. 20.
Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 3,645
- The week before that: 4,285
- Four weeks ago: 9,920
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 83,365
- The week before that: 105,697
- Four weeks ago: 183,913
No states reported more COVID-19 patients in hospitals than a week earlier, while hospitals in one state reported having more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. No state admitted more COVID-19 patients into hospitals 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.
