Cuomo urges smart holiday celebrations

Moses Kuwema

Governor Andrew Cuomo Thursday urged New Yorkers to celebrate the holidays smartly and not allow COVID-19 to be the grinch that results in increased viral spread.

Giving an update on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Cuomo said, "We have nine days left in the holiday season and today, 299 days into the COVID crisis, it is more important than ever for New Yorkers to stay Smart and Tough.

"We are rapidly distributing the vaccine to the most vulnerable New Yorkers and frontline heroes, but COVID continues to spread at high rates throughout the nation and we cannot let our guard down even for a moment.

"The holiday season is normally a time for celebration, but this year is different – we must celebrate smart."

Governor Cuomo announced that the test results reported for the state were 226,296 and the number of those who tested positive was 12,568 which represents a 5.55 percent positive rate.

The number of patient hospitalization stood at 6,928 (+64) and of those, the number of patients newly admitted was 941.

Hospital counties accounted for 56 patients. The number of patients in ICU stands at 1,160 (-6) while the number of ICU patients with intubation is 621 (-12). The total number of discharges was 97,600 (+743). The total deaths was 29,149.