When word came from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital on July 31 that the last Covid-19 patient had been discharged and there were no suspected or confirmed cases among other patients, it was cause for celebration — a celebration that lasted a whole week.
Not since March 8, when Suffolk County's first confirmed virus patient was admitted to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, had it been without such a patient.
Following the hospital's banner day on July 31, the next Covid-19-positive patient arrived eight days later, on Friday, and just one more has come since. One of those two patients has already been discharged, a hospital spokesperson said Tuesday.
Dr. Fredric I. Weinbaum, chief medical officer and chief operating officer, said this is evidence that the precautions people are taking are actually working.
"The one week with no admitted Covid patients was a milestone that proved wearing facemasks and social distancing can effectively help prevent the spread of Covid-19," Dr. Weinbaum said. "Those seven days brought light to what we can do as individuals to fight this pandemic and we are grateful to our community for so willingly adopting these behaviors."
As the virus is still out there, though, a hospital spokesperson said, Stony Brook Southampton staff continues "to test every admitted patient and are preparing for the potential of a second surge by continuing to meet government guidelines and mandates as they are executed."
When Stony Brook Southampton first reported the good news — which included the discharge of a patient who had been in the hospital for 120 days — Robert S. Chaloner, chief administrative officer of the hospital, said at the time it was "a result of the excellent care provided by our medical staff and healthcare workers."
The numbers at Stony Brook Southampton fell as confirmed cases continued to rise in Suffolk County. On Tuesday this week, the total rose to 43,893 in Suffolk as it confirmed Covid-19 in 49 more people who reported their primary residences in the county. (Suffolk officials have acknowledged that in resort communities where vacation homes are prevalent, under-reporting may be occurring because people are listing a different address as a primary residence.)
Stony Brook Southampton has not had a patient die from Covid-19 since mid-June, the hospital also said this week. Suffolk County has seen just six Covid-19 deaths in the last month; there has now been a total of 1,998 deaths. During that time, fatalities in New York State were as low as two in a single day — a statistic that had, in the bleakest days of the spring, topped 800.
"New York went from one of the worst situations in the country to an example for the rest of the nation to follow," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our numbers continue to remain low and steady, which shows this virus will respond to an approach based on science, not politics."
Another indicator of progress is the daily infection rate, measured as the number of new positive cases compared to the total number of Covid-19 tests administered. On Saturday, Long Island as a region had a daily infection rate of .6 percent, also a number not seen in many weeks. Statewide, that number was .78 percent on Saturday.
Long Island's daily infection rate then rose to 1.2 percent on Sunday and dipped back down to .8 percent on Monday and .9 percent on Tuesday. The statewide number was approximately .86 percent, meaning 667 out of 77,059 tests performed came back positive.
State and county officials this week released another new advertising campaign about wearing masks. "The progress we have made has been historic, but we must remain vigilant," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said on Twitter on Monday. "The message is simple: Mask up, Long Island!"
Governor Cuomo's travel advisory is still in effect, mandating 14-day quarantines and contact tracing forms for travelers arriving from certain states where infection rates remain worrisome. The list as of Tuesday included Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 31 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.