The Peru Gazette

With more and more New Yorkers getting vaccinated every day, we are moving toward a final stage in our fight against COVID. To date, New York has administered more than 6 million total doses of vaccine across the state, with more than 1 million doses administered at New York State-run mass vaccination sites. Even as we reach new milestones, we are still in a footrace to make sure the vaccination rate remains ahead of the infection rate. We have a strong process in place and we will continue working and vaccinating until New York becomes the first COVID-free state in the nation.

Vaccine Tip of the Day: New Yorkers can trust the vaccines are safe, effective and free.

1. COVID hospitalizations dropped to 4,735. Of the 243,153 tests reported yesterday, 6,747, or 2.77 percent, were positive. There were 955 patients in ICU yesterday, down 44 from the previous day. Of them, 665 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 80 New Yorkers to the virus.

2. As of 11am this morning, 20.4 percent of New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 144,946 total doses have been administered. To date, New York administered 6,086,018 total doses with 10.4 percent of New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See data by region and county on the State’s Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.

3. Starting April 1, quarantine for domestic travel to New York will no longer be required. Mandatory quarantine will remain for international travelers. The Department of Health still recommends quarantine as an added precaution and all travelers must complete the Traveler Health Form.

4. Fourteen community-based pop-up vaccination sites will come online this week. These sites are expected to vaccinate more than 4,000 people throughout the week. Since January 15, 135 community-based pop-up sites have administered more than 54,000 first doses and more than 41,000 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. As has been the case with previous pop-up sites, these sites will be re-established in three weeks to administer second doses.

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: Most cardinals are a vibrant red but on rare occasions, one might come across a yellow cardinal. In Rushville, Illinois, Chelsea Curry and her husband are among those lucky few to see the rare yellow bird, and in their own backyard. There are about 50 million red cardinals and only about 10 or 12 yellow feathered cardinals in the eastern United States and eastern Canada, so spotting one is an extremely rare and lucky sight.

Ever Upward,

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo