A Long Island resident has the first known case of the South African coronavirus variant in New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday.
The mutated version of COVID-19 was detected in a resident of Nassau County, the governor said in a press release.
The announcement came a week after a Connecticut resident who was hospitalized in New York City was found to have the variant.
The strain, originally identified in South Africa, was first discovered in the US last month – and scientists think it may spread more easily than other virus variants.
The arrival in the Empire State means “that it is more important than ever for New Yorkers to stay vigilant, wear masks, wash hands and stay socially aloof,” Cuomo said.
“We are currently in a race – between our ability to vaccinate and these variants actively trying to multiply – and we will only win that race if we stay smart and disciplined,” he said.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran also urged residents to continue to take precautions.
“We don’t believe the South African variety is more deadly, but it may be more contagious,” Curran said in a statement. “The best response is to continue with tried and true precautions: wear masks, avoid social gatherings, distance themselves, stay at home, and get tested when they are sick.”
Meanwhile, the state’s latest COVID-19 numbers continued to show a downward trend in hospitalizations and deaths after peaking around the holidays.
Less than 5,800 patients were hospitalized with the virus on Saturday, more than 800 fewer than a week earlier.
Officials recorded 75 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the first time since Dec. 16 that the daily death toll was below 100.
Cuomo also announced that the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate was 2.99 percent, below 3 percent for the first time since Nov. 23.
“We continue to see a reduction in positivity and hospital admissions across the state, which is good news, and these advances allow us to open the valve to our economy even further,” said Cuomo.
With pole wires