Mayor Bill De Blasio (Photo: NYC Mayors Office)
June 9, 2020 By Allie Griffin
The number of New Yorkers testing positive for COVID-19 has dropped to almost zero.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that only 1 percent of residents who took the test Sunday tested positive — the latest data available.
“That is an amazing statement on what all of you have achieved,” de Blasio said at his daily press conference this morning. “Let’s keep clinging onto that progress. Let’s build upon it. Let’s beat back this disease.”
The announcement, which de Blasio called “unbelievably good news,” followed new city guidance encouraging every New Yorker — regardless of symptoms or underlying conditions — to be tested for coronavirus.
The city’s testing capacity is now at more than 30,000 tests a day, de Blasio said. New York City has rapidly increased the number of test centers across the five boroughs in the past week.
The mayor warned that the percentage could increase and urged New Yorkers to continue to practice safe social distancing and to wear face masks in public.
“It doesn’t mean it’s always going to be like this and it doesn’t mean we don’t need keep fighting because we do, but I’m so proud of New Yorkers,” he said. “You have earned this one.”
COVID-19 testing is free and results are usually available in about 48 hours. New Yorkers can visit the city’s coronavirus website to find a test site by them.
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One Comment
Ok, let’s go over it again, what history has taught us. After all the hype, Covid 19 is basically the flu, albeit a particular deadly strain somewhere between the Hong Kong flu of 1968 and the Spanish flu of 1918. If noting was done the flu tails off dramatically in the summer months due to heat, humidity and more people outside.
The big questions are what do we do in sept and on when either covid 19 or some other strain comes back. Shutting down the govt or doing nothing are not options. There has to be a middle ground.
Also the elephant in the room is what is an acceptable death count. We accept app. 40k people killed in car accidents and gun violence, 100k+ with hospital infections, app. 70k from flu deaths every yr.