Gov. Hochul announced Friday that COVID-19 positivity rates reached the lowest they've been statewide since Nov. 5.

Positivity rates in New York as of Thursday were 2.58%. This improvement came on the same day marking the deadline for unvaccinated New York City employees to get the shot or potentially face termination from their jobs.

Hochul thanked New Yorkers Friday while addressing the public on the state's progress in the fight against COVID-19. She attributed the low positivity rate to residents taking advantage of protective tools offered such as vaccines, boosters, and frequent testing. Hochul added that although the numbers are trending in the right direction, people must remain vigilant.

The FDA also made a major announcement Friday saying they'll be delaying their meeting set to discuss Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 5 years old.

“The delays here reflect the fact that they decreased the dose for these younger kids in order to ensure that it was safe,” said Dr. Megan Ranney, the Academic Dean of Public Health at Brown University. “Unfortunately, it looks like that decreased dose, decreased the effectiveness of the vaccine a little bit, which is why they need the three shots instead of just two."

Pfizer delaying the meeting will give researchers more time to consider additional data as part of its regulatory process – and once that happens the drug company says – all the information will be evaluated as soon as possible.