State Details Plans To Expand Hospital Capacity In COVID Fight

New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker has issued a letter to hospital administrators detailing directives to expand capacity as the state fights COVID-19.

Governor Cuomo says hospitals will need to work together and shift patients to hospitals that have beds available if they become overburdened by patients.

Cuomo also says New York has established Regional Vaccination Hubs, led by local hospital systems, to develop a plan with community leaders for a regional vaccine network starting once doses arrive for Phase 2.

That's expected sometime in late January.

And the governor says nobody will pay a penny to get vaccinated in New York state.

Meanwhile, here are the latest coronavirus numbers for New York.

The statewide COVID-19 positivity rate is 6.2 percent.

The rate in the Mohawk Valley region is 8.1 percent.

6,097 patients are hospitalized in New York and there were 95 COVID death statewide on Tuesday.