What you should know
- Nearly 3/4 of all US counties are now considered “high transmission” areas under CDC’s new tracking system; that means the use of masks indoors is recommended regardless of vaccination status
- It marks an increase of 13 percentage points in the last week alone and COVID cases continue to increase; hospitalizations in New York have skyrocketed nearly 230% in the last month alone.
- The New York City Department of Education reminded parents that Monday, August 9, is the last day for children over the age of 12 to receive their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine so they can be fully vaccinated when they return to school on September 13.
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NEW YORK – The vast majority of areas in the tri-state area, including all of New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut, are now considered a “high” or “substantial” COVID transmission area, according to the latest CDC data. . According to the agency’s public health guide, that means indoor mask use is recommended regardless of vaccination status.
COVID case rates with more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents qualify as a “high transmission” designation, the CDC said when it debuted its new tracking system last month and modified its mask use guide for much. from the United States. A jarring 72% of US counties, up 13 percentage points in the past week, fall into that category.
That includes all five boroughs in New York City and nearly half in New Jersey. The same is true for a quarter of those who live in Connecticut, the agency’s data shows. Of the three three states, only a handful of counties in the far west and north of New York are moderate transmission areas.
Officials at all levels of government point to the highly contagious delta variant and lagging vaccination rates as the reason, warning that the pandemic could persist and reinstate further restrictions if immunization rates cannot keep up with the virus.
The main concern from public health is not how the delta variant is fueling spikes in new daily cases across the country, officials say, but the more severe outcomes among the unvaccinated, leading to more deaths by default.
In New York, for example, COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide have once again topped 1,120, an increase of nearly 230% in the last month alone. The State reported consecutive days of double-digit death numbers over the weekend, following a great season in which single-digit death numbers were reported.
Given this, as a measure to increase vaccination, the New York City Department of Education reminded parents that Monday, August 9, is the last day for children over 12 years of age to receive their first dose of the vaccine. Pfizer against COVID-19 so they can be fully vaccinated when they return to school on September 13.
This is because minors 12 to 18 years old are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, which implies a period of five weeks for full vaccination, which includes the three weeks between the first and second doses, the department said.
“The layered approach to safety in our schools has kept children healthy, and there is nothing more protective than vaccination,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “Getting vaccinated now protects you, your classmates, your families, and the entire school community.”
“Vaccines are our passport out of this pandemic, and each vaccinated youth is another person protected from this disease,” said Chancellor of Education Meisha Porter. “As a parent, I encourage everyone preparing to go back to school this fall to sign up for their vaccination as soon as possible.”
As part of New York City’s effort to speed up the vaccination process before the start of schools, mobile vaccination sites will be opened directly at youth locations during the month of August. Locations include, Public Schools Athletic League preseason conditioning sites, high-volume summer meal sites, 12 Saturday Night Lights and 28 sites Summer Rising from middle and high schools.
The bell “Vax to School“It’s part of the city’s latest appeal to vaccinate more people amid rising COVID-19 numbers and concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, which has sent new daily case totals skyrocketing locally. While the prevalence of breakthrough infections remains slightly low, those not yet vaccinated are at higher risk than ever, authorities said.
There is no timeline yet on when a vaccine could be licensed for emergency use for children under 12, which is in part why many states and cities across the country, including New York City and New Jersey , require students and staff to wear masks indoors by the beginning of the school year regardless of their immunization status.
Nationwide, the number of children under 5 years old hospitalized for COVID tripled in the first half of July, CDC data shows. The rebound is stoking new concerns about safety at schools, which will not have a remote learning option when they reopen next month.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that physical learning in the classroom is critical to children’s mental development and that layered protections will be put in place to ensure safety.
Part of that includes that as of September 13, all city employees, including Department of Education personnel such as teachers and other school personnel, must show proof of vaccination or take COVID-19 tests. weekly. In partnership with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), each of the five city offices of the UFT will host vaccination sites this fall.
Still, concerns persist. And yet de Blasio insists the children will be safe when they return to school in a few weeks.
“We’ve had this conversation for months about how to balance all of the children’s needs, including all of the children’s medical, physical and mental care needs. And it keeps coming back to the same answer: getting the kids back in school. But do it. safely, “the mayor said last week. “We are going to keep vaccinating young people until the start of school, even after school starts. As long as we can get someone to get vaccinated, it will help.”
The pace of vaccinations has been delayed to the point where New York City officials recently offered up to $ 100 to anyone to get vaccinated at one of their health centers.
So far, about 44% of children ages 12 to 17 in New York City have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the latest update from authorities. About 60% of Department of Education employees have at least one dose, although the number does not include those who were vaccinated outside of the five boroughs.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said Sunday in an interview with our sister network NBC News that vaccines are “community responsibility”.
“We have always dealt, or since 1850, we have dealt with vaccines in schools,” Weingarten said. “It is not a new thing to have vaccines in school and I think that on a personal matter, as a matter of personal conscience, I think we have to work with employers and not oppose vaccination mandates.”
Children who meet the criteria for vaccination are not required to receive a dose in order to attend school, another reason that leads to the implementation of the requirement for the use of masks in the city. The state Department of Health is expected to release a formal mask use guide for schools, but said last week that such mandates were up to individual school districts.
In New York City, K-12 students and staff will be required to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status, in accordance with CDC recommendations. The same applies to New Jersey K-12 schools when the new school year begins in a few weeks.
Governor Phil Murphy said Friday that the requirement is not permanent and will be lifted again as long as the state improves when it comes to the spread of the delta variant and the coronavirus in general. It has not made the same requirement for the general population and only said that the use of masks indoors is strongly recommended.
For information on vaccinating minors in New York City visit this website.
To find a vaccination site in New York City visit this page.
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