COVID Updates: New York City health officials closely monitoring 4 ‘concerning’ clusters

NEW YORK (WABC) — The New York City Health Department continues to track 4 concerning clusters of COVID-19 cases in Southern Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Central Queens and Far Rockaway.

These clusters include 12 neighborhoods in New York City with positivity rates above 3%, accounting for over 30% of new cases citywide over the past 2 weeks despite representing 9.0% of the city’s overall population.

The 7-day average percent positivity is 5.72% for the 12 neighborhoods, while the citywide average is 1.42%. With the 12 neighborhoods removed, the 7-day average positivity for the city is 1.05%.

These clusters also reach an additional 7 neighborhoods where cases are accelerating faster than citywide, despite the percentage of positive tests remaining under 3% over the past 14 days.

Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that a record number of tests — 134,267 — were reported to the state on Friday.

The state is monitoring the top 20 ZIP codes in areas that have seen recent outbreaks which saw a 5.2 percent positivity rate Friday. The rate of positive tests for the remainder of New York State, not counting these 20 ZIP codes, is 1.01 percent.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the state logged another 957 new positive cases. The state’s rate of transmission is 1.24, according to the health department’s COVID-19 data dashboard.

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Here are more of today’s headlines:

Trump was given oxygen before his admission to hospital: Reports
President Donald Trump’s doctor on Saturday painted a rosy picture of the president’s health as he remains hospitalized for coronavirus treatment. But that assessment was immediately contradicted by a person familiar with Trump’s condition, who said the president was administered supplemental oxygen on Friday at the White House.

Carriage horses return to Central Park
Carriage horses will return to Central Park Saturday for the first time in six months. The drivers are planning to offer free rides to health care workers and first responders with identification. Just a dozen carriages will be allowed, and they’ll be sanitized between each ride. Mobile Health, a professional occupational testing company, performed all of the rapid PCR tests for the horse carriage drivers and all results were negative of COVID-19.

Outdoor gym in NYC
Equinox is opening its first outdoor fitness club in New York City starting Saturday.

Cam Newton tests positive for COVID-19
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive and is out for Sunday’s game vs. Kansas City, according to ESPN. Other Patriots players are being re-tested.

The Patriots released a statement that a player tested positive, but didn’t release the name.

Trump campaign manager tests positive for COVID
President Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh has confirmed the news, which was first reported by Politico. Politico said Stepien received his diagnosis Friday and is experiencing “mild flu-like symptoms.”

Ex-Trump adviser tests positive for coronavirus
President Donald Trump’s former adviser Kellyanne Conway said late Friday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus, days after attending a White House event with several others who have since come down with COVID-19. Conway tweeted Friday that she has a “light cough” and is “feeling fine.” “I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians,” she added.

Schumer announces two members of Judiciary Committee tested positive for COVID
Senate Chuck Schumer took to Twitter on Friday to announce that two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have tested positive for COVID-19. He says that there may be more and wishes his colleagues well.

These recommendations could reduce COVID-19 spread on campus
As colleges and universities are dealing with the coronavirus outbreaks on campuses, the CDC announced a new approach that could help prevent or reduce the transmission. The CDC issued their initial guidance last June, which stated that it “does not recommend entre testing of all returning students, faculty, and staff.” At the time the guidance was released, people reported not getting their results for several days or weeks. But now, testing has been more advanced, and the CDC is saying, “In an IHE (Institutions of higher education) setting, with frequent movement of faculty, staff and students between the IHE and the community, a strategy of entry screening combined with regular serial testing might prevent or reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission.”

Stay informed with ABC7’s NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker
As New York City public schools inch closer to reopening in-person learning, much of the success will rely heavily on schools keeping the COVID rate of infection in check. According to the city, public schools can only stay open if the COVID positivity rate stays below 3%. To stay informed, you can follow ABC7’s NYC COVID-19 positivity rate tracker.

MORE NEWS: Watch Eyewitness to a Pandemic

RELATED: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut out-of-state travelers quarantine list

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