COVID-19 hospitalizations reach new low for Suffolk County

The number of COVID-19 patients in Suffolk County hospitals fell to the lowest number since the outbreak began as new positive cases per day continue to hold steady.

The Suffolk County Department of Health reported Tuesday that 38 people were hospitalized in Suffolk, a drop from 57 five days earlier. By comparison, more than 1,500 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 during the outbreak’s peak in April. Across the state, hospitalizations fell to 648.

“This is really good news and exciting news,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a press briefing last Friday, at which point hospitalizations had declined to 650.

New COVID-19 cases per day in Suffolk County averaged about 64 over the last week as total cases surpassed 43,000. Total cases in Riverhead Town stands at 761 while Southold Town has 388. Islip Town has been the hardest hit in Suffolk County with 12,984 total cases, or 39.09 cases per 1,000 residents.

One fatality was reported in the county in the past week, bringing the total to 1,996.

The early warning monitoring system dashboard, which tracks the percent of positive tests per day, showed Long Island at 1.1%. Officials maintain that the goal is to be right around 1%. No region in the state was higher than 1.3%, according to the latest data.

As the numbers continue to show encouraging signs, officials remain steadfast that residents and businesses continue to comply with regulations meant to limit the further spread of the coronavirus. Mr. Cuomo said Sunday that 105 violations were issued throughout the downstate region at bars and restaurants that failed to comply with health laws. He said an additional 27 establishments were issued violations the next day.

“While the vast majority of restaurants and bars are in compliance, a few bad actors are not,” the governor tweeted.

The state also expanded its travel advisory to Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., requiring any individuals traveling to New York from those areas to quarantine for 14 days. A total of 35 states plus D.C. are now included.

Across the country, the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases remained relatively flat over the past week at around 66,000. The seven-day average had been climbing steadily since mid-June, surpassing the 60,000 mark in mid-July.