NY sees record for COVID cases, deaths highest since May

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Healthcare workers transport a patient from an ambulance to Maimonides Medical Center. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

NEW YORK - The coronavirus pandemic continued its steady rise in New York as Governor Andrew Cuomo announced another reported 17,636 positive COVID-19 cases in the state, topping the one-day record set on April 15, 2020, and the number of total hospitalizations reached 8,548 on Wednesday.

The number of deaths hit the highest number since May, with another 197 people being added to the state's death toll.

New York has averaged around 14,300 new cases of the virus per day over the past seven days, up 27% from the week before.

"The holiday COVID hangover is here which is problematic enough, but with the introduction of the U.K. strain and the federal government's refusal to help contain it with common-sense testing requirements for international travelers, our work has become that much more complicated," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "Despite this new challenge, New York is staying tough, and working with the health care community to ensure hospitals do not become overwhelmed. With those efforts ongoing, it's as important as ever that we collectively stay smart and commit ourselves to taking the steps necessary for stopping the spread."

• De Blasio weighing whether to defy Cuomo vaccination group order

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Cuomo are currently at odds over de Blasio's call to expand the pool of New Yorkers who are eligible to recieve the coroanvirus vaccine after Cuomo shot down de Blasio's plan to expand vaccination to some police and corrections officers.

• Governors work to expedite vaccine effort after slow start

Cuomo has also threatened to fine hospitals if they do not use their allotment of COVID-19 vaccine quickly enough.

The United States hit a record number of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, recording another 265,135 cases of the virus and an additional 3,855 deaths.