NY COVID case count down but hospitalizations up 24% over past month. What to know

David Robinson and Mike Stucka, New York State Team
·4 min read
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New York's tally of COVID-19 cases has declined recently but the number of likely COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals has increased about 24% over the past month, suggesting underreporting of infections is masking the virus' true spread.

Last week, New York reported 29,440 new COVID-19 cases, down 7% from the previous week. But the weekly tally of likely COVID-19 patients at hospitals statewide totaled 3,968, up about 24% from the 3,196 patients admitted a month ago, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

A 62-year-old nursing home resident receives a COVID-19 booster shot in New York on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021.
A 62-year-old nursing home resident receives a COVID-19 booster shot in New York on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021.

The disconnect between case counts and hospitalizations, in part, stemmed from the fact many New Yorkers are using at-home COVID-19 test kits, which go unreported most of the time and are excluded from state data. The situation also underscored the nation's evolving approach to the pandemic, with President Joe Biden declaring it over despite COVID-19 remaining a "problem."

How NY tracks COVID hospitalizations

One way New York health officials attempt to more closely monitor COVID-19 outbreaks includes tracking the number of people admitted to hospitals because of COVID-19 complications versus those admitted for non-COVID reasons who later test positive.

For example, New York reported a total of 2,433 COVID-19 patients were in hospitals as of Friday. Of that, just over 1,000, or nearly 44%, were admitted due to COVID-19 complications, state data show.

But despite New York's effort to paint a clearer picture of the current risk, the lag between when someone is infected and when they show up at hospitals also complicates efforts to determine the severity of outbreaks in real time.

URMC, University of Rochester Medical Center, includes Strong Memorial Hospital, Golisano Children's Hospital, and the Wilmot Cancer Institute to name some of its patient care facilities on Feb. 23, 2022. The main entrance to Strong Memorial Hospital and its emergency department is located on Elmwood Ave. in Rochester, NY.
URMC, University of Rochester Medical Center, includes Strong Memorial Hospital, Golisano Children's Hospital, and the Wilmot Cancer Institute to name some of its patient care facilities on Feb. 23, 2022. The main entrance to Strong Memorial Hospital and its emergency department is located on Elmwood Ave. in Rochester, NY.

Still, the strain of rising hospitalizations in general is being felt acutely in some upstate counties, which are facing comparatively worse outbreaks while struggling to staff all their hospital beds due in part to health labor shortages and financial challenges, hospitals reported.

Meanwhile, New York reported 158 people died due to COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday, down from 182 deaths the prior week, as the state's overall COVID-19 death toll approached 75,000, according to CDC data.

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How COVID is spreading in New York?

  • In the latest week, Westchester County saw its COVID-19 cases hold flat, reporting 1,284 cases and nine deaths.

  • Rockland County's cases declined nearly 8%, reporting 416 cases and one death.

  • Putnam County's cases dropped 22%, reporting 132 cases and four deaths.

  • Dutchess County's cases fell nearly 11%, reporting 363 cases and two deaths.

  • Orange County's cases declined 36%, reporting 572 cases and one death.

  • Upstate, Monroe County's cases increased 9%, reporting 869 cases and six deaths.

  • Broome County's cases leaped 14%, reporting 351 cases and two deaths.

  • Oneida County's cases held flat, reporting 422 cases and two deaths.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Across New York, cases fell in 38 counties, but the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in:

  • Fulton County with 298 cases per 100,000 per week;

  • Staten Island with 272.

  • Oswego County with 254.

The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Weekly case counts rose in 24 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Richmond, Monroe and Erie counties.

A total of 6,156,087 people in New York have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the U.S., 96,699,237 people have tested positive and 1,062,564 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

New York's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Oct. 9. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 3,968

  • The week before that: 3,777

  • Four weeks ago: 3,196

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 50,835

  • The week before that: 49,835

  • Four weeks ago: 58,231

Hospitals in 18 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 15 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 29 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: NY COVID case count down but hospitalizations up 24% over past month