NY COVID Deaths Hit Highest Single-Day Toll in Months as Delta Variant Drives

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to hold a COVID-19 briefing Wednesday, a day after reporting a months-high single-day death toll of 35 as she cautioned some metrics are “moving in the wrong direction.”

And with the nation’s largest public school system planning a full in-person return in a matter of days, the latest numbers have parents and personnel alike asking the same all-important question: Is my building safe?

Daily positivity rates have leveled off a bit since the latest delta variant-driven case surge and increases in hospitalizations have plateaued as well, though the total number of admissions statewide still remains around early May levels.

More than 2,300 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID as of Hochul’s latest report, which marks a near 200% increase since Aug. 1. The admissions increases that jolted the state last month, though, appear to be stabilizing. Deaths are a lagging indicator, so that number may continue to rise, as the data shows it is, even as other core viral metrics decline before they stabilize as well.

Nationally, some states are struggling far more, especially where vaccination rates are low. More than 95% of all U.S. counties are considered “high transmission” rate areas by the CDC. Florida is in the grip of its deadliest wave of the pandemic so far, while Idaho has started to ration its health care amid its ongoing COVID surge.

Even though the delta variant has been linked to more severe outcomes, research shows vaccinated people are substantially less likely to be hospitalized or die of the virus. That’s the point Hochul makes, especially as out-of-home activity rebounds.

“With students back at their schools and colleges and increasingly more people returning to work in-person, it is more critical than ever that we double down on everything we can do to stop the spread of infection,” the Democrat said Tuesday. “The single best weapon that we have in this fight is the vaccine, which is free, safe and effective. If you still need your shot, please get it as soon as possible so we can all be better protected.”

Not everyone is eligible yet for vaccination, though, which underscores the need for heightened protection when it comes to the most vulnerable, children in particular.

With hundreds of thousands of New York City public school students returning to classrooms in six days, officials are closely monitoring COVID-19 numbers following a busy holiday weekend that experts had warned could fuel new case surges across the country. They’re also continuing to push student vaccinations.

To date, 65% of 12- to…