Mayor insists no business or school closures

2 years ago 398

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York State has acceptable different single-day affirmative COVID lawsuit grounds with astir 22,000 affirmative cases reported successful 24 hours, Governor Hochul's bureau reported.

The fig breaks the grounds for single-day affirmative COVID trial results which was announced Friday.

The 21,908 affirmative COVID trial results are retired of 290,930 results reported - equaling a 7.53% positivity rate. More than fractional of the affirmative cases are successful New York City.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio insisted determination would not beryllium caller wide schoolhouse oregon concern closures contempt a surge successful COVID-19 cases.

"We are successful specified a amended concern than overmuch of the country, but the cardinal is more, more, and much vaccinations. So we are going to instrumentality these mandates aggressively. We're sending retired inspectors, we request radical to bash this, we request each of these mandates to beryllium followed. The much we vaccinate, the much we tin get done this and the large information present is shutdowns and restrictions," de Blasio told WNYC Friday.

On Saturday, de Blasio said connected Twitter that the City reported 5,263 caller cases and 214 caller hospitalizations connected Friday.

The politician announced the astir assertive vaccine mandate successful the state past week, requiring private-sector workers to get vaccinated by December 27.

Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul said that 21,027 affirmative trial results were reported successful New York authorities Thursday, mounting a caller single-day reporting record.

"The wintertime surge successful COVID-19 cases is simply a reminder that the pandemic is not implicit yet and we indispensable instrumentality other attraction to support ourselves and each different safe," Hochul said. "The vaccine is inactive our champion limb to decision the microorganism and guarantee we are harmless from superior illness. Get the changeable if you haven't yet and the booster if you have, disguise up, and lavation your hands."

Late Friday, Hochul announced that much than 40 caller pop-up vaccinations sites would beryllium opening crossed the authorities implicit the coming weeks.

In New York City, lines for coronavirus investigating stretched for blocks, with immoderate radical waiting for hours for their turn.

Three schools successful the metropolis were forced to temporarily adjacent owed to the rising numbers, bringing the full to four.

ALSO READ | 'We've ne'er seen this before': NYC COVID-19 positivity complaint astir doubles implicit 3 days

Still, the Department of Education said that 4 schools being closed is really low. They are slated to reopen aft wintertime recess connected January 3.

"We bash not hesitate to instrumentality enactment to support schoolhouse communities harmless and our multi-layered attack to information allows america to respond rapidly and halt the spread. All schoolhouse employees unit are vaccinated and each pupil volition person a instrumentality to guarantee live, continuous learning," The DOE said.

The 3 schools present closed include: Eagle Academy for Young Men II successful Brooklyn, PS 18 successful the Bronx, and Robert E. Peary School successful Queens.

In conscionable the past 2 weeks, hospitalizations are up 22% successful New York, 71% successful Connecticut and 66% successful New Jersey. Still, Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to easiness concerns regarding concern and schoolhouse closures.

NYC hospitalization rates by vaccination status:

"No, no, no," helium said erstwhile asked astir the possibility. "This is not March of 2020."

He cited vaccine and booster rates, arsenic good arsenic the imaginable interaction connected the economy.

"We are 1 of the astir highly vaccinated places successful the USA," helium said. "The large information is shutdowns and restrictions, due to the fact that that would truly destroy, successful truthful galore ways, people's livelihoods...(with) everything radical person been through, it would beryllium traumatizing. We request to absorption connected vaccination, radically, usage the mandates to the fullest. That's not conscionable here, but each implicit the country."

De Blasio connected Thursday elaborate a six-pronged attack to stamping retired omicron successful New York City.

Those measures include:
--Issuing a wellness advisory with guidance connected keeping safe, including recommendations for disguise wearing, vaccination, investigating and booster shots
--Increase investigating capableness with much mobile sites and a doubling down connected ceramic and mortar sites, on with creating caller fixed sites an expanding hours of operation
--Distributing 1 cardinal KN95 masks to wellness centers and clinics
--Distributing fractional a cardinal astatine location accelerated tests, each for free
--Doubling down connected boosters, being assertive with a paid media run to promote each who suffice to get a booster
--Doubling down connected inspections to enforce each existent mandates successful place

Dr. Jay Varma, a elder wellness advisor to de Blasio, said the existent spike is simply a motion of the omicron variant's accelerated dispersed and quality to evade immunity.

"Um, we've ne'er seen this earlier successful #NYC," helium tweeted.

He went connected to accidental that omicron was evading some vaccine and virus-induced immunity "unlike immoderate variant before."

"That's lone mentation for melodramatic leap successful positivity," helium wrote. "Consensus for present (but taxable to change) is that immunity *against terrible disease* should beryllium acold better."

Cases per capita by vaccination status:

There is inactive overmuch chartless astir omicron's severity, but astatine this point, it appears to beryllium dispersed overmuch much easily, though thankfully cases astatine this constituent look to beryllium much mild.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned that "people are underestimating the powerfulness of omicron" and urged communal sense, disguise wearing and booster shots up of the winter.

"Has anybody heard thing I've said contiguous astir the concern we are in?" she said. "This is simply a crisis. This is simply a wellness attraction crisis, and radical are going to die. It is not hyperbole."

Hochul said she anticipates "a precise superior situation" and that "we are successful for a precise unsmooth thrust this winter" with the omicron variant.

She besides criticized "a fewer outlier counties that person declared their absorption to pursuing wellness laws."

NYC COVID decease rates by vaccination status: