New York tallies record number of COVID-19 infections

Statewide, New York averaged 13,257 positive tests per day over the seven-day period that ended December 16

New York state reported on December 17 that just over 21,000 people had tested positive for the previous day, the highest single-day total for new cases since testing became widely available.

One-day snapshots of virus statistics can be an unreliable way to measure trends, but the new record punctuated a steady increase that started in the western part of the state in late October, and has taken off in New York City in the past week as the omicron variant spreads.