Suffolk Reporter

Suffolk County recently shared crucial updates regarding COVID-19 metrics. According to the CDC, hospital admission rates and the percentage of COVID-19 deaths among all deaths are now the primary surveillance metrics.

In a report from April 7, 2024, the county disclosed that new hospital admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients were at 94, with a percent change of -11.3% from the prior week. The hospital admissions per 100k in the past week were 3.3, indicating a low level of COVID-19 hospital admissions.

On April 5, 2024, 39 individuals were hospitalized in Suffolk County, with 64% of them being hospitalized due to COVID-19 or complications of COVID-19. There were 5 new admissions since the last report, with 9 individuals being discharged. Additionally, 7 patients were in the Intensive Care Unit.

Regarding fatalities, there have been 5,274 fatalities in Suffolk County since March 2020, with an increase of 1 since the last report. The annual breakdown of fatalities is as follows: 2020 - 2,311, 2021 - 1,507, 2022 - 1,015, 2023 - 318, and 2024 - 128 to date.

In terms of COVID-19 cases, on April 5, 2024, 57 new first-time cases were reported in Suffolk County. The testing data showed 3.7 cases per 100k, with a 7-day average of 3.3 cases, which includes reported PCR and antigen tests.

The Department of Health in New York continues to provide vaccination information and access to vaccination clinics for uninsured and underinsured patients through programs like the Vaccines for Children and Vaccines for Adults program. Individuals with insurance covering the COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to get vaccinated at local pharmacies, healthcare providers' offices, or federally qualified health centers.

The county also offers free COVID-19 tests to ensure widespread testing and monitoring of the virus within the community.