Health & Fitness
NYC COVID Positivity Is Lowest In State, Data Shows
The city is now the "safest place in the country" thanks to high COVID-19 vaccinations and low infection levels, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
NEW YORK CITY — Coronavirus positivity in New York City is lower than anywhere else in the state, data shows.
Just 1.2 percent of COVID-19 tests on average were positive in the city as of Tuesday, according to state health data.
The statewide average stood at 2.78 percent.
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Mayor Bill de Blasio this week credited the high number of coronavirus vaccine doses — 12.2 million and counting — with keeping infections levels low and safety high.
"This is why we are now the safest place in the country," he said.
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The New York Post first highlighted the city's shift from epicenter to statewide beacon of safety.
Coronavirus case levels went from largely stable to a slight increase nationwide in recent days, according to a New York Times tracker.
But several states — such as Colorado — have seen sharper increases lately, the tracker shows.
New York City's positivity rate is actually measured two different ways by state officials and their city counterparts.
The city-measured positivity is higher — 1.57 percent on average — than the state's number, but still is far below the national rate of 5 percent, according to the CDC.
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