The omicron variant of Covid-19, known to be more contagious than previous variants, is causing virus cases and hospitalizations to rise fast.
In Suffolk County, according to data released on Tuesday, 13.67 percent of the 12,212 test results reported on Monday, or 1,670, were positive. The vaccination rate reached 74.9 percent of all people age 5 and older.
Reports by the New York Times show that Suffolk’s daily case rate was higher than New York City’s and the rest of the state, with 109 new cases per 100,000 people. That’s an 85-percent increase over the last two weeks. As of Monday, the omicron variant accounts for more than 36 percent of all cases in New York.
Forty people were admitted to hospitals on Monday in Suffolk, bringing the total number of hospitalizations to 349. Fifty-three are in intensive care units, including 30 who are intubated.
Since March of 2020, 281,474 total Covid-19 cases have been confirmed. Of those, 2,528 have been in East Hampton Town, 8,361 in Southampton, 4,955 in Riverhead, 2,192 in Southold, and 103 on Shelter Island.
Out of the 3,101 beds in hospitals county-wide, 31 percent remain available. Of the 369 I.C.U. beds, 24 percent are available. Five people died on Monday, bringing Suffolk County’s death toll to 3,756.