New York state reported 53,276 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the state continues to see high case numbers driven by the Omicron variant.
The new report is a significant drop from case reports last week. The state reported close to 90,000 cases in a day on December 31.
However, Governor Kathy Hochul warned at a recent press release that cases could increase later this week, as testing sites were closed over the holiday weekend, causing delays in case reports.
Hospitalizations in New York have increased past 10,000 Covid patients, the highest level since the spring 2020 surge
NYC hospitals are rescheduling elective surgeries as patients fill beds and large numbers of staff go out sick.
New York state reported 53,276 new Covid cases on Tuesday - a decrease from last week, but Governor Hochul warned that case reports in the coming days may be higher
During the spring 2020 surge, New York peaked at about 10,000 new cases a day. This was prior to widespread testing availability, however, so true numbers were likely higher
In December, New York became a hotspot for the Omicron variant.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Omicron was spreading rapidly in New York and New Jersey before it arrived in other regions of the country.
An anime convention held in New York City in late November may have been a superspreading event for the variant, as a number of Omicron cases were tied to the event.
As of January 1, Omicron was causing an estimated 98 percent of new Covid cases in the New York and New Jersey region, per the CDC.
The state of New York has reported record Covid cases in recent weeks - higher than at any other time during the pandemic.
Cases quadrupled in the last two weeks of December, from a daily average of 75 new cases for every 100,000 state residents on December 17 to almost 300 new cases per 100,000 on December 31.
On December 31, New York state reported a record 85,000 Covid cases in a single day.
During the spring 2020 surge, the state's peak record was closer to 10,000 cases a day - though many cases were going unreported at that time due to limited testing.
So far, case reports for New York in the new year have been lower than late December records.
On Tuesday, the state reported 53,276 new cases - following reports of 51,698 new cases on Monday and 62,526 new cases on Sunday.
However, Governor Kathy Hochul warned in a Monday press conference that the 'numbers are misleading' and 'a result of the holiday weekend.'
Covid case numbers typically drop during and after holidays, as testing sites are closed and the public health workers who
