NYS COVID-19 test positivity rate, hospitalizations trend up: governor

NEW YORK - Of the 160,947 COVID-19 tests reported on Tuesday in New York state, 9,998 were positive, or 6.21 percent of the total, up from 5.33 percent one day earlier, tweeted Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday.

Total hospitalizations were 6,097 on Tuesday, up from 5,982 on Monday, added Cuomo, who once warned that the state's COVID-19 hospitalizations could reach 6,000 in weeks based on the current up-trends.

"Yesterday, NYS received 77,025 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The State has received 87,750 total doses to date," the governor said in another tweet.

"An additional 80,000 Pfizer vaccine doses will arrive in the next days to start the vaccination program for residents and staff at nursing homes," he added.

Meanwhile, the governor said during a press briefing that the next challenge in the COVID-19 fight will be the distribution of a vaccine. Administration of the Pfizer vaccine began this week, with the goal of immunizing high-risk healthcare workers and employees and residents at long-term care facilities.

Phase two will focus on essential workers and priority members of the general public, he said. Regional vaccination hubs will work with local government leaders and community organizations to help implement distribution and administration.

As of Wednesday morning, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 35,831 coronavirus deaths in New York state, the worst in the country.