Governor Cuomo Announces Executive Order Requiring Death Benefits for Families of Frontline Government Workers

Executive Order Requiring Death Benefits for Families of Frontline Government Workers Extended for Additional 30 Days

More Than 200,000 New Yorkers Have Receive First Dose of Vaccine

7,892 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide

1,250 Patients in the ICU; 702 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 8.66%

144 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced he is signing an Executive Order to extend the requirement that death benefits be paid out to families of frontline government workers for an additional 30 days. The legislation providing these benefits, signed by the Governor in May (Chapter 89 of the Laws of 2020), would otherwise expire on December 31. The Governor also announced that more than 200,000 New Yorkers have now been vaccinated with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and beginning next week, New York will open vaccination criteria to ambulatory care health workers and public-facing public health workers, including those administering COVID-19 tests.

"The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war, but it can't be done overnight and our actions will determine how fast we can reach the light at the end of the tunnel," Governor Cuomo said. "Yes, we are getting the vaccine out as quickly as possible, and yes, we're doing everything we can to slow the spread, but we also need to find ways to start reopening businesses through the use of testing. That is the smartest way forward and that's what we're trying to explore. In the meantime, there is one message New Yorkers should remember as we approach the close of the holiday season - celebrating smart stops shutdowns. If we stay smart, stay tough and take the steps we know help stop the spread, we will get through this."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

Test Results Reported - 154,949
Total Positive - 13,422
Percent Positive - 8.66%
Patient Hospitalization - 7,892 (+78)
Patients Newly Admitted - 1,106
Hospital Counties - 55
Number ICU - 1,250 (+26)
Number ICU with Intubation - 702 (-9)
Total Discharges - 101,295 (+853)
Deaths - 144
Total Deaths - 29,905

The regional hospital bed capacity and occupancy numbers, including the number of hospitalizations as a percent of the region's population, is as follows:

Region	COVID Patients Currently in Hospital in Region	COVID Patients as Percent of Region Population	Percent of Hospital Beds Available in Region (7-Day Avg)
Capital Region	404	0.04%	26%
Central New York	404	0.05%	22%
Finger Lakes	959	0.08%	34%
Long Island	1,384	0.05%	26%
Mid-Hudson	906	0.04%	35%
Mohawk Valley	273	0.06%	26%
New York City	2,772	0.03%	31%
North Country	74	0.02%	40%
Southern Tier	196	0.03%	45%
Western New York	520	0.04%	34%
Statewide	7,892	0.04%	31%

The regional ICU bed capacity and occupancy numbers are as follows:

Region	Total ICU Beds in Region	Total Occupied ICU Beds in Region	Percent of ICU Beds Available in Region (7-day Avg)
Capital Region	216	187	19%
Central New York	267	203	27%
Finger Lakes	397	289	29%
Long Island	778	588	24%
Mid-Hudson	684	430	41%
Mohawk Valley	126	102	25%
New York City	2,469	1,802	29%
North Country	55	35	43%
Southern Tier	125	81	39%
Western New York	545	337	42%
NYS TOTAL	5,662	4,054	31%

Yesterday, 154,949 test results were reported to New York State, and 8.66 percent were positive. Each region's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

REGION	SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY
Capital Region	8.48%	8.60%	9.09%
Central New York	6.69%	7.00%	7.29%
Finger Lakes	8.55%	8.66%	8.80%
Long Island	6.70%	6.85%	7.49%
Mid-Hudson	6.29%	6.33%	6.68%
Mohawk Valley	9.26%	9.11%	9.36%
New York City	4.82%	4.96%	5.28%
North Country	6.88%	7.24%	7.46%
Southern Tier	3.37%	4.12%	4.05%
Western New York	6.43%	6.53%	6.82%
Statewide	5.90%	6.06%	6.43%

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

BOROUGH	SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY
Bronx	5.71%	5.87%	6.26%
Brooklyn	5.00%	5.12%	5.44%
Manhattan	2.83%	2.86%	3.05%
Queens	5.68%	5.83%	6.16%
Staten Island	6.03%	6.19%	6.57%

Of the 957,412 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	11,333	221
Allegany	1,782	20
Broome	8,004	149
Cattaraugus	2,437	65
Cayuga	2,742	87
Chautauqua	3,404	67
Chemung	4,448	59
Chenango	1,179	19
Clinton	1,050	22
Columbia	1,579	13
Cortland	2,017	31
Delaware	691	16
Dutchess	11,869	149
Erie	40,585	329
Essex	554	17
Franklin	734	5
Fulton	1,258	14
Genesee	2,584	33
Greene	1,260	46
Hamilton	100	1
Herkimer	2,049	69
Jefferson	1,729	62
Lewis	857	16
Livingston	1,811	33
Madison	2,240	54
Monroe	33,059	602
Montgomery	1,282	9
Nassau	86,296	1,273
Niagara	8,241	127
NYC	420,067	4,710
Oneida	11,803	361
Onondaga	20,658	380
Ontario	3,162	89
Orange	23,019	336
Orleans	1,324	65
Oswego	3,343	79
Otsego	1,181	23
Putnam	4,750	106
Rensselaer	4,133	118
Rockland	27,193	267
Saratoga	5,413	145
Schenectady	5,732	124
Schoharie	542	15
Schuyler	515	11
Seneca	761	13
St. Lawrence	2,011	63
Steuben	3,323	73
Suffolk	94,041	1,650
Sullivan	3,073	59
Tioga	1,655	25
Tompkins	2,033	40
Ulster	5,572	74
Warren	1,141	47
Washington	805	30
Wayne	2,477	81
Westchester	68,702	771
Wyoming	1,321	44
Yates	488	15

Yesterday, 144 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 29,905. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:

Deaths by County of Residence
County	New Deaths
Albany	1
Bronx	8
Cayuga	4
Chautauqua	1
Chemung	2
Chenango	2
Clinton	1
Dutchess	1
Erie	20
Fulton	3
Genesee	5
Herkimer	1
Jefferson	2
Kings	10
Madison	1
Manhattan	3
Monroe	10
Montgomery	1
Nassau	7
Niagara	1
Oneida	1
Onondaga	10
Orange	3
Oswego	2
Queens	9
Rensselaer	3
Richmond	6
Rockland	3
Schenectady	2
Seneca	1
Suffolk	11
Tompkins	1
Wayne	1
Westchester	5
Wyoming	2