Suffolk Reporter

Suffolk County health officials have provided an update regarding COVID-19 statistics as of April 30, 2024. 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 statement, it was revealed that "New hospital admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients" in Suffolk County totaled 63 for the week ending April 20, 2024. The data indicated a "Percent change of hospital admissions from prior week" at -4.5% and "Hospital admissions per 100k in the past week" standing at 2.2. The level of COVID-19 hospital admissions was classified as low.

Moving on to the daily hospitalization summary provided for Suffolk County from May 1, 2024, it was reported that 22 individuals were hospitalized, with 50% of them being admitted due to COVID-19 or related complications. Out of the 22 individuals, 2 were new admissions, 3 were discharged since the last report, and 1 patient was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Regarding fatalities, as of May 1, 2024, there have been 5,283 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 - 137 to date.

In terms of COVID-19 cases, the COVID-19 Case Tracker for April 29, 2024, reported 70 cases with a rate of 4.6 cases per 100k and 3.0 on a 7-day average. This includes reported PCR and antigen tests.

The county also shared information on vaccination and testing resources. Vaccination clinics are available for uninsured and underinsured patients through New York State's Vaccines for Children program and Vaccines for Adults program. Those with insurance covering the COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to receive vaccinations at local pharmacies, healthcare providers' offices, or federally qualified health centers.

For individuals seeking COVID-19 testing, free tests are available, and wastewater surveillance information can be accessed at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-wastewater-surveillance.