NEW YORK, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 203,721 COVID-19 test results were reported to New York State on Thursday, a new record high for the state, said a government release on Friday.
"We are testing more than just about any other state in the nation, reaching new record highs in the number of tests we perform in a single day," Governor Andrew Cuomo was quoted as saying.
One good news "is our infection rate is one of the lowest in the nation. The bad news is we are in the midst of a sea of COVID-19 rising around us," he said.
"You look at states around the country and the numbers are all going up quickly. The reality is the virus is mobile and we're in the holiday season and people will travel more. These are all elements that conspire to increase the spread," he added.
The COVID-19 test positivity rate in the focus areas under the micro-cluster strategy, where the pandemic has been the most severe in New York State, was 4.58 percent on Thursday, down from 4.86 percent one day earlier, tweeted the governor earlier on Friday.
The statewide positivity rate excluding these focus areas was 2.29 percent, down from 2.53 percent on Wednesday. Of the 203,721 tests reported Thursday, 5,401 were positive, or 2.65 percent of the total, down from 2.95 percent one day earlier.
As of Friday afternoon, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 33,993 coronavirus deaths in New York State, the worst in the country.
Nationwide, 143,408 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday, a record daily increase since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).