COVID infections in NY hit highest total since May
People wait to ride on the Staten Island Ferry on July 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - New York announced 3,000 new coronavirus infections in the state on Friday, the most since early May.
Of the 3,050 New Yorkers who tested positive for COVID-19, 1,682 cases were in New York City.
The state's COVID positivity rate now stands at 2.55%.
"New Yorkers fought long and hard and sacrificed a lot to get to where we are today - where we are not just surviving but living life," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "But our fight is not over, and we know this because the Delta variant continues to infect more and more people, particularly those who are still unvaccinated. We cannot risk throwing away all of our hard-won progress, so I urge everyone who still needs their shot to get it right away and help protect themselves, their neighbors and their loved ones."
RELATED: NYC considering vaccine mandate for all restaurants
The delta variant of COVID-19 has health experts across the nation ringing alarm bells and begging Americans who are not vaccinated yet to get the jab.
According to internal documents from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new evidence shows the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be more dangerous than previous strains of the virus.
RELATED: COVID-19 delta variant as contagious as chickenpox, CDC internal docs warn
With a return of mask mandates just over the horizon, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that he would make an announcement about masks in the city on Monday. He also said that "all options are on the table" when it comes to requiring vaccines for patrons at restaurants across New York City.
"We're climbing the ladder in terms of more mandates, tougher and tougher measures to make sure people are vaccinated," de Blasio said on CNN earlier this week.
The delta variant is driving a COVID-19 surge across the nation that now sees over 100,000 people a day testing positive for the coronavirus, numbers that have not been seen since March.
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