NYC hits milestone for lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since pandemic began

June 1 (UPI) -- New York City hit a milestone Tuesday for its lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since tracking began, the mayor announced.

"We are going to remember this day, June 1, 2020, because we have hit an extraordinary milestone today here in New York City," Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a news conference at City Hall. "This the level of COVID positivity today in New York City 0.83%, the lowest we've seen ever since this pandemic began.

"Since we started testing and measuring this is the lowest level that we've had and it's absolutely amazing," De Blasio continued. "This is a testament to the power of vaccination. This is a testament to the willpower of New Yorkers fighting through this crisis, doing the right thing to keep each other safe."

De Blasio also announced Tuesday the city recorded no new COVID-19 deaths the previous day. The city also reported 271 new COVID-19 cases and 72 new hospitalizations from the coronavirus pandemic.

August was the last time New York City reported no new COVID-19 deaths, The Hill reported. Though there were no new COVID-19 deaths in the city, eight deaths were reported in the state.

De Blasio noted that 8.29 million total doses of vaccine have been administered in the city.

"You know the famous phrase, 'what have you done for us lately,' well, I'll tell you what vaccinations have done for us lately, we have the lowest positivity rate we've ever had since this crisis began because people got vaccinated," De Blasio said. "It couldn't be clearer. Let's keep going."

De Blasio also announced that the city's senior centers would be reopening in two weeks, and initiative to expand low-cost and free child care to thousands of families across the city.

The mayor also announced NYC Vaccine Contest for people getting their vaccines this week, with this week's prize being 20 two-night staycations at hotels in NYC.

The eight COVID-19 deaths statewide were the lowest single-day toll since Oct. 30, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told NBC 4 New York.

"Total COVID hospitalizations are at 1,032," Cuomo tweeted Tuesday. "Of the 50,528 tests reported yesterday, 391 were positive (.0.77% of total)."

The number of new COVID-19 cases has decreased 52% from 14 days ago in New York state, according to New York Times databases, and new cases have plummeted 46% over the same period on average across the United States.

No state has seen a major increase in cases over the past two weeks, according to the Times, and several states in the Midwest and Northeast have seen new cases decline by more than 50%.

At least half of Americans have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and more than 40% are fully vaccinated, Bloomberg's COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker shows.

New York City restaurants no longer face any restrictions and other states are beginning to lift COVID-19 restrictions as the majority of adults in the country are fully vaccinated, ABC7 reported, amid vaccines for ages 12 and older rolling out more recently.

All COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in Pennsylvania, and Michigan has allowed restaurants to open indoor dining at 50% capacity, according to the ABC7 report.

Across the United States, 5,735 new cases and 138 deaths were reported on Memorial Day, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center data shows.

The United States has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and highest number of COVID-19 deaths worldwide since the pandemic began at more than 33 million cases and over 590,000 deaths, Johns Hopkins global map shows.