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Coronavirus Updates: NYC Average Test Positivity Reaches 2.6%, Marking More Than 10 Straight Days Of Increase

Elizabeth Kim

and

Sydney Pereira

Published Nov 12, 2020

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Commuter wears a face mask and face shield as she rides the Staten Island ferry.

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Elizabeth Kim

and

Sydney Pereira

Published Nov 12, 2020

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This is our daily update of breaking COVID-19 news for Thursday, November 12th, 2020. Previous daily updates can be found here, and up-to-date statistics are here.

New York City is in Phase 4 of reopening now, which includes zoos, botanical gardens, museums, and gyms. Certain parts of Brooklyn and Queens are under a zoned shutdown. Get answers to questions you may have with our "Ask An Epidemiologist" series, or learn more about NYC COVID-19 testing options with our explainer. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; NY State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.

Here's the latest:

Dr. Amanda Johnson demonstrating how the at-home test kit works on November 12th, 2020 at a press briefing with Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mayor's Office YouTube

NYC Introduces At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits

2 p.m.: As NYC faces a rise in COVID-19 cases day-after-day this week, city officials announced Take Care packages sent to coronavirus patients and their contacts will now include at-home test kits.

The Take Care packages—a part of the city's contact tracing efforts—contain an at-home coronavirus test kit, personal protective equipment, tools like a thermometer and a pulse oximeter. The packages are delivered to those who test positive with the virus or are close contacts—like roommates or family members.

The efforts are "going to loom large now because we need every single human being to honor the need to safely separate when that time comes, or to quarantine, to honor it, and know they'll be helped," Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters Thursday.

According to NYC Health + Hospitals, the packages contain enough equipment for a household of three to quarantine for 10 to 14 days. The packages were rolled out in August, but this month, at-home test kits were added, according to a spokesperson for the city's public hospital system, Julie Bolcer.

Dr. Amanda Johnson, who oversees NYC Health + Hospitals isolation strategy, said 53% of households with a COVID-positive patient will see a second person in the household get the virus.

Among those 53%, three-quarters of those cases happen in the first five days of contact, Johnson said.

Some 2,500 New Yorkers have been helped with the Take Care's hotel program to isolate from their family members while sick.

After a contact tracer calls, you'll be sent a Take Care package, according to the city. One New Yorker who received one recently shared a photo of the contents, which also included an XBox Gamepass.

"Very recently, we started to include an at-home testing kit," Johnson said. "When you know your status, you're going to take the right steps to protect your household and your workplace and you're going to reach out to us for help."

The at-home kit includes a swab to swirl in your nostril, a tube to place the sample in, and materials to have the package picked up and delivered for free. The swab only goes up to one-inch inside of your nose. The kit includes a phone number to call in order for someone to pick it up and deliver the package.

Test results are expected within 48 hours if the test kit is returned Monday to Thursday. Testing negative doesn't mean a contact of someone with COVID-19 can end their quarantine or isolation early.

"It’s not a free ticket to get out of the safe separation period that we are imploring New Yorkers to abide by," Johnson said. "The conversion of being a contact to a case is a vital piece of information in our efforts to break these chains of transmission."

Mayor de Blasio added: "We're urging people not to travel for the holidays, but we know some people have to or some people will choose to despite the warnings. What you do thereafter when you come back becomes crucial."

Here's more info on the packages.

NYC Average Test Positivity Reaches 2.6%, Marking More Than 10 Straight Days Of Increase

New York City's seven-day average positivity rate has risen to 2.6%, representing more than 10 straight days of increase, according to updated data on Thursday from the Department of Health.

The average number of new cases has now climbed to 870, the highest it has been since mid-May.

As of Thursday, 103 ZIP codes out of 177 now have average positivity rates at or above 2%, according to the city's data.

The worsening spread of the virus comes as the city prepares for new statewide restrictions intended to thwart a second wave. Beginning on Friday, bars and restaurants with liquor licenses will be required to close at 10 p.m. Restaurants, however, will still be allowed to sell food for curbside pickup and delivery after 10 p.m.

In addition, gyms, and all indoor gatherings at private residences will be limited to 10 people.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the order Wednesday as the region enters a critical phase of the pandemic. Both cases and hospitalizations are rising in New York as well as in neighboring states, who have implemented their similar curfews on restaurants and bars. Across the country, more than 120,000 infections are being reported every day.

Mayor Bill de Blasio's office expressed its support for the new restrictions, the first statewide rollback of New York's reopening.

"City Hall has been in discussions with the State on these guidelines and fully supports these actions," tweeted the mayor's spokesperson Bill Neidhardt. "We must do everything we can to hold off a second wave and these steps will help us fight it back in New York City."

The rising positivity rate bodes poorly for the status of in-person schooling in New York City, which has arguably been one of the mayor's major achievements during the crisis.

Mayor de Blasio has confirmed that he would close schools should the average positivity rate go above 3%, a benchmark that some experts have criticized as arbitrary.

Tagged

covid-19 updates

coronavirus

Elizabeth Kim

Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]

Sydney Pereira

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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