Suffolk Coronavirus: Higher Rate Of Positive Cases At Hot Spots

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — As the first test results come in from new mobile testing hot spots in hard-to-reach areas where communication has been difficult, the number of new coronavirus cases appears to be higher at those locations than in other places, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Thursday.

A new mobile hot spot testing site will open Friday at the HRHCare Elsie Owens Health Center in Coram, with a focus on reaching out to another community where language barriers may exist to provide not just testing but critical information.

So far, in the new mobile hot spot sites in Riverhead, Brentwood, Huntington Station, Wyandanch and North Amityville, where the goal is not just to test but to educate on social distancing and other protocols, initial results have come in.

Across those sites, 1,477 tests have been administered; of the 1,077 results, 577 are positive. That's a 53 percent positive infection rate in those areas, which is "definitely a lot higher" than overall in Suffolk County, Bellone said. The current overall rate of confirmed positives countywide totals about 40 percent, he said.

While Bellone added that the results are taken from a small sample, they do indicate a higher overall rate in underserved areas, he said.

"At first blush, it's what you would say you might expect," Bellone said, with a higher rate of infection in those hot spot areas. "We hope to see those numbers go down as we deliver messaging and communication."

Countywide, he said, the total number of positive cases of coronavirus now stands at 30,354, Bellone said, with 709 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Positive cases housed at hotels

When asked how people in hot spot locations — many of whom reside in lower income, high density areas with tighter living conditions — are able to quarantine, Bellone said that issue exists everywhere.

For those who are test positive but are unable to isolate at home because they might live in a dense space or because they reside in a home with members of a vulnerable population, Bellone said each situation is reviewed on a case by case basis.

Patients testing positive for coronavirus have been housed by the county in hotels or as part of the "normal shelter system," Bellone said, without giving exact numbers or specific locations.

Antibody survey results

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, on Thursday, that the state has undertaken the largest antibody survey to date to develop a baseline of infection; 3,000 people were tested statewide over two days in 19 counties and 40 localities, he said.

The data indicated that 13.9 percent of those surveyed were positive for the antibodies, but they were individuals who were out shopping, not at home or isolated and not at work.

A total of 16.7 percent tested positive on Long Island, according to weighted results, he said; that number in New York City was 21.2 percent, while in Westchester and Rockland counties, 11.7 percent of respondents tested positive, and in the rest of the state, just 3.6 percent had positive results.

Women comprised 52 percent of those tested and of that number, 12 percent tested positive; of the 48 percent of men tested, 15.9 percent tested positive.

While the number of African Americans and Latinos tested were disproportionately from New York City, Cuomo said, according to weighted results, of the 14.3 percent of black individuals tested, 22.1 percent tested positive; and of the 17.6 percent Latino and Hispanic individuals tested, 22.5 percent tested positive for the antibodies. A total of 11.7 percent of the 8.8 percent of people who identified as Asian had the antibodies, and just 9.1 percent of people who identified as white had them.

The sample showed people of all ages can get the virus.

About 8 percent of adults between 18 and 24 had the antibodies — the smallest share of any age group tested — while 16.7 percent of adults between 45 and 54 years indicated they had the virus.

More testing needs to be done in the African American and Latino communities, Cuomo said. Despite the fact that New York did not have the health disparities that have been reported in other states, there are other factors why "you have higher numbers in these communities," he said, including pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or other health issues.

Also, Cuomo said, a high percentage of those populations are employed as essential workers and getting on subways and buses where there are higher densities. Additional testing began Thursday at New York City housing authority facilities, Cuomo added.

Countywide impacts

According to Cuomo's trials, with Long Island seeing a 16.7 percent positive result for the antibodies, Suffolk County could be looking at about 250,000 confirmed positives, " a huge number" compared to the 30,000 individuals that officials know have tested positive so far, Bellone said.

"If that turns out to be the number, there are a huge number of people who have had the virus and who did not know they had it, either because they were asymptomatic or they thought they had some other illness," he said.

That number, Bellone said, would also indicate that with a scaled up testing program, one that tests for the presence of the virus currently or antibodies, "married to an aggressive contact tracing program, means you can contain the virus and reopen the economy with protective measures in place and while practicing social distancing guidelines."

Hospitalizations trend downward

Hospitalizations continued their downward trend again for the second day in a row, with a decrease of 37 for a total of 1,340 hospitalized countywide.

There was also a decrease of patients in ICU beds, with five less over 24 hours, for a total of 494.

Current capacity stands at 3,305 hospital beds countywide, with 779 ICU beds; currently, there are 737 hospital beds available in Suffolk County and 143 ICU beds.

A total of 131 patients went home in the last 24 hours. And 33 new deaths were reported, bringing that total to 959 since the crisis began.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases by town as of Thursday is as follows:

Islip: 8,616

Brookhaven: 6,236

Babylon: 4,913

Huntington: 3,558

Smithtown: 1,614

Southampton: 517

Riverhead: 345

Southold: 291

East Hampton: 138

Shelter Island: 7

For a breakdown of cases by hamlet or community, click here.

Supplies distributed

Over the past day, 24,000 of personal protective equipment were distributed to hospitals, nursing homes, fire departments, police and EMS workers, including 80,000 ear loop masks from New York State, and 27,000 isolations gowns secured by the county's procurement team.