New York tops 5,000 daily COVID-19 cases for the first time since April

New York on Friday reported 5,000 new coronavirus cases — a figure not seen since April, near the height of the pandemic — as the United States as a whole battles a record number of infections.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said on Twitter that the figure represents a 2.65 percent positive rate of coronavirus infections in the Empire State.

There are currently 1,737 people hospitalized in New York due to COVID-19, Cuomo said, while 24 people in the state died on Thursday due to the disease.

A press secretary for Cuomo noted that the positive diagnoses were among more than 200,000 test results reported to the state on Thursday, a record number of daily tests performed.

“COVID is raging nationally, setting record numbers of cases and hospitalizations with each passing day,” Cuomo said in a statement. “While New York is doing better than just about any state in the United States, we are not immune from the national trend. Now it’s up to what we do. There is no pre-destined future here. It’s a pure consequence of our actions.”

After being an initial epicenter of COVID-19 in the U.S. back in the early months of the pandemic, the Empire State managed to get their numbers under control, with many health experts hailing the state as a model of effective coronavirus control measures.

In recent months, however, the rate of coronavirus cases in New York has been steadily increasing despite Cuomo enacting stricter regulation. In September, the state’s daily record was 1,000 — 4,000 fewer cases per day than it is currently experiencing.

New York’s spiking COVID-19 cases come as the rest of the United States is also experiencing an upward trend. On Thursday, the United States recorded more than 152,000 coronavirus infections, setting a new daily record.

Updated: 6:10 p.m.