What you should know
- The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, defends her new mandate for the use of masks or vaccination requirement for closed businesses due to the “increase in cases during the fuestas.” His words come as he shares new data of “alarming” increases in cases and hospitalizations in the state.
- Since Thanksgiving, COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents have soared by 70% – on Friday, that number was 59%. While cases increased by 58%, last week it was 43%. The pace of the vaccination rate remains at 2%.
- The Democrat noted that the threat during the holidays with delta and omicron prompted her action with the new term, but hospitalizations are her biggest concern. Meanwhile, New York detects Omicron at four times the national rate.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul stated in terms Tuesday that the feared surge in cases during the fuesta season is showing in New York State and cited a 58% increase in COVID-19 cases and a 70% increase in hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents since Thanksgiving.
Those numbers were up respectively from 43% a week ago and 59% in just four days. “An alarming jump across the state” which, according to Hochul, clearly indicates that trends are not moving in the right direction.
The only data related to Thanksgiving that did not increase between last week and now was vaccination, which had increased by 2% between this holiday and the COVID-19 report a week ago.
That rate is still 2%, Hochul said Tuesday, declaring the latest increase to be “an unvaccinated crisis. So if I seem a little frustrated, it’s because I am.”
Hospitalizations statewide totaled 3,772 as of Tuesday, the first time they surpassed 3,700 since April 20. These have risen 92% in the last month and a growing number of hospitals, mainly in the north of the state, are clinging precariously to bed capacity above 10%, which is Governor Hochul’s threshold for pausing the elective procedures.
The governor pointed to the still imminent peak during the Christmas season and the increase in cases of the highly communicable Omicron variant in New York and the country, as evidence of her “temporary” mandate to use masks or a requirement for proof of vaccination to enter closed public places.
The measure is scheduled to be reevaluated on January 15. The Democrat noted that she hopes there is enough time to resolve the latest wave of COVID-19, but it is not the spread of the newer variant that is driving her concern.
Instead, the governor said it’s the delta-driven spike in hospitalizations that worries her, rather than the Omicron spread that has been confirmed in at least 38 cases in New York state, which “was the trigger we needed.” to take action on the new mask-wearing order.
Gov. Hochul, who has faced some backlash from Republican county executives and others for the term that took effect Monday, reiterated a day later that it is a short-term effort to solve a problem that threatens to spiral out of control. The holiday season, plus the still ubiquitous delta control, which is to blame for spikes in hospitalizations, and Ómicron’s infectivity are a triple threat, she said.
“We are not doing this to win any popularity contests. I am not going to participate in a political discussion about this because it is too important. It is about helping us overcome the pandemic,” Hochul said.
New data shows that Omicron is sweeping the tri-state area even faster than the rest of the country, the CDC director said Tuesday. Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in “Today” that New York and New Jersey are detecting Ómicron through genomic sequencing at a rate of about 13% versus 3% nationally.
Delta, which according to early tests appears to lead to more severe cases than the new variant that first emerged in South Africa, remains the predominant strain in the United States, 96.7% of all sequenced positive COVID samples, and is fueling the most severe COVID cases, Walensky said, but Ómicron could overtake delta in no time.
The good news, Walensky said, is that early data shows that Ómicron “is demonstrating less severity, shorter stays, fewer people on oxygen, fewer people in the ICU.” Even better, “now we have the tools,” he added.
But will they be enough? The World Health Organization confirmed Tuesday that Omicron is spreading at a different rate than any other variant since the pandemic began and even if less severe, the sheer number of cases could overwhelm hospitals.
Walensky and other health and elected leaders nationally and in New York point out that vaccines are the most prohibitive factor for new virus mutations: containing the spread, containing the virus’s ability to mutate, and urging continued precautions. so far such as the use of masks, hand washing and physical distancing.
In New York State, 82% of the adult population is fully vaccinated. New York City, the epicenter of the US COVID outbreak, has a similar full inoculation quota for its adults. But the numbers plummet dramatically when vaccines are considered among the youngest age groups. That’s a critically vulnerable concern at this time, say health and elected officials at all levels of government.
Nearly 12% of children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated throughout New York State, while New York City has a 22.3% complete vaccination rate for that age group. Both are higher than the national average (9.6%). Rates improve significantly when looking at 12 to 17-year-olds, which Hochul hopes is a promising sign for the youngest who meet the criteria.
Statewide, the total vaccination rate for children ages 12 to 17 is 63.2%. That compares with 70.5% of New York City kids that age, according to the most recent data.
New York is among a growing list of US states taking intense action to slow the spread of Omicron, and the continuing threat posed by delta as it faces its worst COVID surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. in more than half a year.
Hochul’s Health Commissioner, when issuing the determination order required to implement the mandate, cited in part data showing that the use of masks is linked to an approximately 70% reduction in the risk of COVID infection. The governor insists that now is the time to start maximizing the tools to reduce risk and calls on her order a pre-emptive strike.
The City of New York also acts preventively. A new proof of vaccination requirement went into effect Tuesday for children ages 5 to 11 to enter restaurants or enclosed places or participate in high-risk extracurricular activities. Those children only need to show proof of one dose of vaccine. As of December 27, children between the ages of 12 and 17 must present proof of two.
That same day, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s strictest vaccination mandate goes into effect. It is the first to cover the entire workforce in the private sector. The mayor is expected to publish additional guidance for businesses for that Wednesday.
While he’s encountered more than a little backlash in that looming order, de Blasio says the trend lines with cases and hospitalizations need it.
“They are seeing the trend lines with cases increasing, hospitalizations increasing, so we must attack on all fronts,” said the mayor. “We are making a preemptive strike, implementing extremely strong measures to prevent us from ending up where we did in 2020 with closures and restrictions. We can see the writing on the wall.”
What is not clear is how long that term will last. It takes effect four days before Mayor-elect Eric Adams takes office. He said he will review the policy with his team and make his own decision on whether to adopt it.
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