Chalk art outside Peconic Bay Medical Center in April. (Credit: Tara Smith)
On May 10, the COVID-19 positivity rate for Suffolk County was reported at 1.2%, averaged out over a week, the lowest it has been since early last fall. Just over half of the county’s 1.4 million residents have received one vaccination; 39.8% have received both doses.
And on that day, only 13 new hospitalizations for COVID-19 occurred across the county, according to data from the Suffolk County Department of Health.
These numbers show we have emerged from COVID darkness into the light of a hopeful upcoming summer season. As capacity rules are further relaxed, as restaurants and other hospitality industries put out “help wanted” signs, everything points to a broad opening up across our region.