Cases of the omicron variant continue to plummet in New York, now dropping by half in a week's time, according to state data released by the governor on Saturday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul reported 12,332 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, down from a total of 27,643 tests declared the same day last week. That accounts for a 55% decrease.
"We're getting through this winter surge and we know what to do. We know how to handle this. No one is more resilient anywhere in this country than New Yorkers," Hochul said in her weekend press release.
The signs continue to be encouraging after omicron shot through the Empire State, smashing previous records and leaving many isolate for the winter holidays for a second year in a row.
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But now with the state's positivity rate dropping down to almost 5%, and the seven-day average not far behind, things keep looking up.
Hospitalizations, too, are trending down as well. Often seen as a lagging indicator, but important in tracking the power of the variant, hospitalizations one week ago stood well over 10,000. By Saturday, that figure had dropped by almost 3,000.
"So let's use the tools - vaccines, boosters and masks - let's be safe, and we'll get through this together as we always have," the governor added.
