COVID-19 numbers continue to spike: Four new cases on Island

There were four new cases of COVID-19 among Islanders this week, bringing the total of those who have been identified in the Town to 93, according to Police Chief Jim Read.

With the Thanksgiving holiday this week, Islanders are reminded to take precautions by avoiding crowds, maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, and for those not fully vaccinated, making arrangements to start or complete the series of inoculations.

The Suffolk County positivity rate continues to climb, now at 4.48%, a 2% increase in cases during the past two weeks. There were just over 600 cases in the County on Friday, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health. It was the second straight day cases surpassed 600.

New fatalities continue to be reported in the County, and so far this month, there have been 34 deaths in Suffolk attributed to COVID-19. At least one fatality has been reported nearly every day of the month. Across the U.S., an average of more than 1,110 people have died per day in the last seven days of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 41% of the U.S. population is not yet fully vaccinated.

Data continues to show fully vaccinated residents are at much lower risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, although breakthrough cases do occur. And more importantly, the fully vaccinated are much less likely to require hospitalization as a result of infection.

“Fully-vaccinated New Yorkers had between an 89.8% and 95.5% lower chance of being hospitalized with COVID-19, compared to unvaccinated New Yorkers,” according to the State Department of Health.

About 67.7% of Suffolk County residents are currently fully vaccinated. The number climbs to 81.5% for those 18 or older.