Bill de Blasio on Thursday warned a second wave of COVID-19 'is right upon us' in New York City.
The mayor told reporters: 'What we're now seeing more than we have seen in a long, long time, unfortunately, is these three indicators all moving in the wrong direction or having already in the case of the daily cases, moved greatly in the wrong direction.
'So it's quite clear at this point that this second wave unfortunately, is right upon us.'
Official data shows the seven-day rolling average positivity rate has risen above 5 percent for the first time since May, reaching 5.19 percent, up from 4.8 percent reported Wednesday. The daily positivity rate is 3.9 percent, de Blasio said.
The number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19 hit 174; the threshold is 200 patients.
Overall, more than 290,000 people have tested positive for the virus in NYC since the start of the pandemic; 24,305 have died.
De Blasio added: 'We’re extremely concerned and vigilant to make sure that we make sure we protect our hospitals and we can protect people’s lives.'
Bill de Blasio has warned a second wave of COVID-19 in New York City 'is right upon us'
Official data shows the seven-day rolling average positivity rate has risen above 5 percent for the first time since May, reaching 5.19 percent, up from 4.8 percent reported Wednesday. The daily positivity rate is 3.9 percent, de Blasio said. This graph shows the percent of people tested who tested positive, by ZIP code, for the most recent seven days of available data
But he noted: 'We are seeing a different reality in the hospitals for sure than in the spring. And this is a very, very important point.
'Even though that number has gone up, it's still a very different reality in our hospitals than what we experienced in the spring.
'The ability of our hospitals to deal with patients is greatly improved. The ability of patients to survive this disease is greatly improved. We are not seeing the kind of stress on our ICU's anywhere near what we saw in the past.'
The number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19 hit 174; the threshold is 200 patients. More than 290,000 people have tested positive for the virus in NYC; 24,305 have died
The mayor on Thursday also announced plans for a Pandemic Research Institute in the city 'to lead the world to the solutions that will protect us in the future'.
Senior Advisor Dr. Jay Varma said: 'The Pandemic Response Institute is an opportunity to expand beyond laboratory work, into training, research, innovation – into all of the areas we know were important for outbreaks: detection, investigation, management, and this will position the city as a leader in pandemic response and strengthen our infrastructure for future outbreaks.'
The United States on Thursday has reported its highest ever daily COVID-19 death toll with 117 Americans dying every hour in the past day - as an analysis of CDC data shows total fatalities could be as high as 345,000.
There were 2,804 deaths recorded Wednesday, which is up considerably from the previous record of 2,603 reported back on April 15 during the initial peak of the pandemic.
Medical staff transport patients to Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday
People wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 in Brooklyn on Tuesday. York City, and much of the nation, is bracing for a surge of COVID-19 cases following the Thanksgiving holiday which saw millions of Americans travel to see family and friends
Earlier, John Hopkins University had reported a staggering 3,157 deaths but revised the death toll this morning following an error in reporting from Nevada.
Hospitalizations and cases across the country continue to surge in the wake of Thanksgiving with just over 100,000 patients being treated yesterday and 200,000 confirmed infections.
De Blasio said Thursday vaccines will hit the city within weeks with 'the first shipments as early as December 15'.
He added: 'That is 12 days from now, the Pfizer vaccine shipments, we expect to begin for New York City – Moderna shipments a week later on the 22nd.'
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