New York is one of the most vaccinated states in the US.
The number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in New York has increased by 70% since the US Thanksgiving holiday, prompting officials and businesses to re-evaluate their policies in an effort to stem the outbreak. winter virus increase and the onset of new omicron variation.
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said an increase in hospitalizations statewide – along with a 58% increase in cases per 100,000 people over the same period – was the driving force behind making face masks mandatory in the country. New homes statewide for businesses that don’t have a vaccine requirement. While cases and hospitalizations have mostly increased in upstate New York at the start of the month, the magnitude of the increasing trend is now present across the state.
Hochul said the omicron variation did not directly influence her decision to mandate a mask but it is an area of concern. The state has identified 38 omicron cases, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the variant now accounts for 3% of all US sequence cases, up from 0.1% in the US. early December.
“If I sound a bit frustrated, I probably am,” Hochul said at a virus news conference Tuesday in New York City. “While we look forward to getting this behind us, we’re not done yet.”
Business influence
The vaccine requirement for all private sector employers in New York City also went into effect December 27.
The city’s shift towards private businesses comes after successful vaccine campaigns targeting public sector employees, resulting in a mostly vaccinated public workforce and many The legal challenge won by the city and state. On Monday, the US Supreme Court ordered healthcare workers to be vaccinated.
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said an increase in hospitalizations statewide was the driving force behind new statewide indoor mask regulations for businesses that don’t have a vaccine requirement.
New York’s most recent masking mandate prompted several major employers to change their vaccine policies.
On Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase & Co. sent a memo to employees instructing unvaccinated people to stay home as part of the new vaccine mission to enter the company’s New York headquarters and eight other office buildings. Unlike Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, which only allow vaccinated employees to work in their buildings, JPMorgan previously allowed unvaccinated employees in if they were tested twice a week.
“We are taking this step because we have a very high vaccination rate among our employees,” the bank said in an internal memo reported by Bloomberg News. “With rates higher than 90%, it doesn’t seem fair to require our immunization staff to wear masks all day at their desks and would be a step behind the progress we’ve made on them.” with normal business.”
Hochul said she will reassess the mandate on January 15 and urge businesses to comply.
“I know this isn’t easy for businesses,” she said. “My goal with this mask or vax mission is to keep you open, to keep your door open, so you can continue what you do every day. You’re an important part of this. our economy.”
Push the vaccine
Hochul also said the state is rolling out holiday vaccination pop-ups at churches, malls and other popular spots to boost the state’s vaccination rates. The state is also trying to increase the rate of booster injections in nursing homes by 70%.
New York is one of the most immunized states in the US, with 70.5% of people fully vaccinated compared with the US average of 60.9%, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.
Hochul said hospitalizations, however, are concentrated in people who have not had both shots.
There have been 179,502 laboratory-confirmed breakouts in fully vaccinated people, or 1.4% of the population of fully vaccinated people 12 years of age or older, according to state data. up to November 29, there were 11,051 hospitalizations among fully vaccinated people. people, or 0.09% of the population 12 years of age and older, are fully immunized.
The daily hospitalization rate in New York was 0.8 per 100,000 among those who were fully immunized in the week beginning November 15, compared with 8.75 per 100,000 among those who were not vaccinated during the same time period. time, according to the most recent state data.
“This is a crisis of the unvaccinated,” Hochul said.
