Summary

New York State reported 173 new deaths from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on January 24, 2021, bringing the cumulative total to 34,242 deaths. New York hospitals are currently treating 8,730 patients for COVID-19; 1,005 patients are on ventilators, and 1,522 are being treated in intensive care units. Cumulatively, 122,544 patients have recovered.

The state reported 12,003 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative statewide total to 1,338,990. The county with the highest number of new COVID-19 cases was Kings (n = 1,595). Overall, Queens County had the highest cumulative number of cases (n = 165,810). An additional 219,538 COVID-19 diagnostic tests were reported on January 24, 2021, bringing the cumulative number of diagnostic tests performed to 30,762,550 statewide. The county with the highest number of new diagnostic tests was Queens (n = 32,393). The county with the highest cumulative number of diagnostic tests performed was Kings (n = 3,752,388). Among all of the diagnostic tests reported thus far, statewide, 4% tested positive.

Social distancing, a non-pharmaceutical intervention whereby people maintain at least six feet of physical distance between one another, is foundational in New York State’s strategy for suppressing COVID-19 transmission. In New York City, New Yorkers are encouraged to contact 311 to report social distancing violations. On January 18, 2021, New York City 311 received 3 social distancing calls: 0 from the Bronx, 3 from Brooklyn, 0 from Manhattan, 0 from Queens, and 0 from Staten Island.

One proxy measure of adherence to social distancing guidelines is population mobility. Lower levels of mobility in public locations, and higher levels in residential locations suggests greater adherence. Mobility data from Google location histories indicate that on January 22, 2021, compared to a baseline on February 15, 2020, people in New York State spent 37% less time in retail and recreational settings (e.g., restaurants, shopping centers, libraries), 16% less time in grocery and pharmacy settings (e.g., grocery stores, food warehouses, farmers markets, and pharmacies), 37% less time in parks (e.g., local parks, public beaches, plazas, and public gardens), 52% less time in transit stations (e.g., subway stations, bus stops, train stations), 37% less time in workplaces, and 15% more time in residential settings. Mobility data from Apple devices in New York City indicate that on January 24, 2021, New Yorkers were walking 47% less, driving 22% less, and riding transit 59% less, compared to baseline levels on January 13, 2020.

In addition to its impact on health and safety, COVID-19 has also disruptively impacted New York’s economy. The necessary implementation of social distancing has, directly and indirectly, caused many businesses to reduce or suspend operations. Open data reports that the statewide unemployment rate for December 2020 was 8.1%, equal to the prior month’s unemployment rate of 8.1% in November 2020. New York State received 193,882 initial unemployment insurance claims in December 2020, an increase over the 170,416 initial claims received during November 2020.

Summary Prepared By: Isaac H. Michaels, MPH
Data Sources: Health Data NY, The COVID Tracking Project, NYC Open Data, Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports, Apple, and Open Data NY (Unempolyment Rates and Unemployment Insurance Claims)

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