New York coronavirus hospitalisations up 73 per cent since September

'It's going to take the work of all of us now to make sure we don't go backwards on our hard-fought progress’

Coronavirus hospitalisations in New York State have risen to a level not seen since July, governor Andrew Cuomo has said, while patient admissions have leapt 73 per cent in a month.  

Mr Cuomo announced on Saturday that 826 people were hospitalised with the virus at present, compared to 474 at the same point in September, the Times Union reported.

At that rate, New York has seen both a 73 per cent rise in hospital admissions for those who have tested positive for the coronavirus, and the highest number since 15 July.

Of those admissions, 186 coronavirus patients were in an intensive care unit (ICU) on Saturday, compared to 120 ICU admissions at the same point in September.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Cuomo attributed hospitalisations to patients who live in areas now designated as coronavirus “red zones”, where health officials have traced 15 per cent of positive tests in the past week.

"It's going to take the work of all of us now to make sure we don't go backwards on our hard-fought progress," said the Democrat, admitting that new restrictions on social and religious gatherings were primarily affecting Hasidic Jewish communities.

"They are in those geographic areas and anyone in those geographic areas are more likely to come in contact with the virus," he said in a statement. "I understand how important it is to their culture and religion. I also understand that it, as a matter of fact, jeopardizes human life."

"We must all continue to wear our masks, wash our hands, remain socially distant, and above all, stay New York tough," Mr Cumo added.

New York’s coronavirus deaths have, despite an increase in hospital admissions, remained low, with five recorded on Saturday.

Sunday, meanwhile, marked the stabilisation of a seven-day streak in rising coronavirus cases, which had risen from 618 to 826 in the space of a week. And on Sunday, 820 positive cases were confirmed in the state.

It comes several months after New York became the epicentre of the United States’ coronavirus pandemic, which has now killed almost 2150,000 Americans and infected over 7.7 million, according to John Hopkins University data.