New York governor asks people to "stay vigilant" amid upward trend of COVID-19

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday asked residents in the state to "stay vigilant" over COVID-19, as the latest tolls showed that new coronavirus cases continued on an upward trend.

"Of the 134,267 tests reported yesterday (Oct. 2), 1,731 were positive," tweeted Cuomo. The numbers could be translated into a positive ratio of 1.29 percent, and it was 1.34 percent a day before. Such levels have not been seen in New York since May.

"Total hospitalizations are at 647. Sadly, there were 6 COVID fatalities yesterday," the governor added.

"This pandemic is not over," said Cuomo in a statement. "My message to New Yorkers is please stay vigilant."

Some of the hotspots in the state included the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where over 350 people tested positive, and in suburban Rockland County, where at least 120 new cases occurred.

According to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. coronavirus death toll stood at 209,187 as of 4:23 p.m. Saturday, and New York remains one of the worst-hit states by the pandemic in the country.