Hospital capacity is lessening in the Finger Lakes and Central New York, but that doesn’t mean shutdown is inevitable.
That message was clear in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s press briefing on Friday.
On Saturday, the state released updated numbers for each region in New York. As far as ‘current hospitalizations’ are concerned – Central New York and the Finger Lakes have 399 and 750 respectively. That translates to 28% and 29% of hospital beds available in each of those two regions. ICU beds were 33% and 31% filled respectively in Central New York and the Finger Lakes.
“With the vaccine now in hand, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but how fast we get there all depends on our actions,” Governor Cuomo said. “From the moment we received the first dose, New York has been quickly and efficiently distributing the vaccine, all the while working around the clock with our hospitals to grow capacity and ensure they do not become overwhelmed. With this work underway, we also need to double down on efforts to slow the spread. New Yorkers have proven themselves time and time again throughout this pandemic, and I believe we can learn from what we saw during Thanksgiving. If we stay tough and be smart by socially distancing and wearing masks, we can avoid the holiday surge the experts are predicting and finally win this war.”
Governor Cuomo will address New York in a daily briefing on Monday.
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