New York's COVID cases surge 62% as omicron wave crashes over communities outside NYC

New coronavirus cases leaped nearly 62% in New York in the week ending Sunday, as 595,095 cases were reported and many communities outside New York City faced skyrocketing infections that strained the health care system.

The previous week had 367,687 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

New York ranked second among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

Nationally, COVID-19 cases increased nearly 76% from the week before, with 4,967,431 cases reported. With 5.84% of the country's population, New York had 11.98% of the country's cases in the last week.

After New York City initially faced the brunt of recent outbreaks, the highly contagious omicron variant sent the number of new cases soaring last week in many counties in the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley regions.

Robert Akey of Sloatsburg receives a COVID-19 antigen test from Dexton Cummins at Patriot Hills Golf Course in Stony Point on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
Robert Akey of Sloatsburg receives a COVID-19 antigen test from Dexton Cummins at Patriot Hills Golf Course in Stony Point on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

For example, Broome County had cases spike 221%, while Monroe County faced a 229% jump in cases, Oneida County's cases increased 195%, and Weschester County's cases leaped 145%.

Still, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday struck a cautiously optimistic tone that the post-Holiday surge could be slowing in New York overall, as cases appeared to plateau in some New York City communities that previously faced the worst omicron-fueled outbreaks.

The steady climb of COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide over the past month also appeared to be slowing, Hochul noted, adding the hospitalizations generally lag case increases by several weeks.

Addressing the recent trends in slowing the rise in coronavirus cases in some communities, Hochul said: "Every day that we can flatten that is going to be a good day."

Meanwhile, the list of hospitals in New York halting elective care to free up beds in the face of COVID-19 outbreaks and staffing shortages increased to 40 on Saturday, up from the original 32 on Dec. 7.

"We will use every available tool to help ensure that hospitals can manage the COVID-19 winter surge," said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett in a statement. "I want to remind New Yorkers that getting vaccinated and boosted remain the best way to protect against serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19."

"Vaccination also protects our hospital system," she added. "We cannot return to the early months of the pandemic when hospitals were overwhelmed."

Nationally, the New Year's holiday weekend significantly disrupted who got tested, how many people got tested, what labs operated and what government agencies reported on time.

Many of the New Year's weekend reports were shifted into the latest week, and the previous week was disrupted by late reporting from the weekend of Christmas. Consequently, week-to-week comparisons will be skewed in some communities.

More: COVID-19 cases are surging in NY nursing homes, reopening scars of pandemic's darkest days

In New York, 929 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 702 people were reported dead.

How COVID is spreading in New York

New York Governor Kathy Hochul talked about upcoming plans to assist keeping students in school and other COVID prevention measures during a press conference at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center at SUNY Brockport  in Rochester on January 3, 2022.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul talked about upcoming plans to assist keeping students in school and other COVID prevention measures during a press conference at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center at SUNY Brockport in Rochester on January 3, 2022.
  • In the latest week, Westchester County faced a 145% increase in new COVID cases, reporting 32,743 cases and 47 deaths in the latest week.

  • Rockland County's cases spiked 135%, reporting 11,913 cases and 11 deaths in the latest week.

  • Putnam County's cases increased 99%, reporting 3,276 cases and two deaths.

  • Orange County's cases leaped 144%, reporting 13,449 cases and 11 deaths.

  • Upstate, Monroe County's cases spiked 229%, reporting 13,956 cases and 18 deaths in the latest week.

  • Broome County's cases spiked 221%, reporting 3,713 cases and nine deaths.

  • Oneida County's cases increased 195%, reporting 4,273 cases and seven deaths.

Within New York, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were:

  • Nassau County with 4,099 cases per 100,000 per week.

  • Bronx County with 3,865.

  • Richmond County with 3,826.

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

Adding the most new cases overall were:

  • Queens County, with 84,890 cases.

  • Kings County, with 82,756 cases.

  • New York County, with 56,144.

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

New York ranked 8th among states in share of people receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, with 85.4% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 74.3%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Sunday, New York reported administering another 900,752 vaccine doses, including 266,389 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 678,441 vaccine doses, including 217,752 first doses. In all, New York reported it has administered 35,157,266 total doses.

A total of 4,147,154 people in New York have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 60,611 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 60,074,429 people have tested positive and 837,594 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, Jan. 9.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 13,612

  • The week before that: 11,030

  • Four weeks ago: 4,321

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 187,807

  • The week before that: 147,897

  • Four weeks ago: 91,573

Hospitals in 49 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 39 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 50 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.

People waited more than four hours Thursday morning for COVID-19 testing at the state testing site at the Sarasota Kennel Club in Florida. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
People waited more than four hours Thursday morning for COVID-19 testing at the state testing site at the Sarasota Kennel Club in Florida. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

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's COVID cases surge 62% as omicron wave slams counties outside NYC