BREAKING NEWS

New York State officials reported 21,027 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest in a single day since testing became widespread.

Friday, December 17, 2021 7:52 PM EST

The data, which reflected test results for Thursday, showed a drastic change in the virus's presence in the state. For weeks, case counts had been rising, primarily because of a surge driven by the Delta variant. But the spike in recent days is because of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, epidemiologists believe.

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