Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19

Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19 and outlined basic steps they can take to protect against the spread of viral respiratory infections that become more common in the winter season.

"As New Yorkers prepare to welcome a new year, I urge everyone to remain vigilant and take all available precautions to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "Stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take common prevention measures — like staying up to date on vaccines and practicing proper hygiene — to protect from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the flu and COVID-19 and reduce the patient burden on local hospitals. The Earlier this month, Governor Hochul updated New Yorkers on the state's winter health preparedness efforts.

Last week, the New York State Department of Health announced new guidance for bivalent COVID-19 booster doses, which are now available for eligible children down to 6 months of age. The updated boosters are the first to be targeted to the original virus strain and recently circulating variants and are recommended for young New Yorkers and all those eligible.

The Health Department's weekly flu surveillance report, with data through Dec. 24th, shows influenza remains widespread throughout the state for a twelfth consecutive week, with a total of 255,981 positive cases across all 62 counties reported to date. The report found that confirmed cases statewide dropped 23 percent, while overall hospitalizations were down 14 percent from the previous week ending on Dec. 24th at 2,501 hospitalizations across the state.

Additionally, there were 43 outbreaks in acute care and long-term care facilities, the report determined. There were also no additional pediatric deaths, leaving the total at five statewide.

With flu season continuing and infections remaining widespread, Governor Hochul encourages all New Yorkers to get their annual flu vaccine. The flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both circulating, so getting vaccinated against both is the best way to stay healthy and to avoid added stress to the health care system.

Governor Hochul also continues to urge New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.

The State Department of Health is continuing its annual public education campaign, reminding adults and parents to get both flu and COVID-19 shots for themselves and children 6 months and older. Advertisements in both English and Spanish language began running last month.

Likewise, a parallel public awareness campaign continues, featuring New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett speaking directly to New Yorkers about the three viruses now circulating in the state with similar symptoms and the potential to cause serious illness. Produced by the New York State Department of Health, the videos include a short clip and a longer version geared toward parents; and a version aimed specifically at health care providers.

For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Cases Per 100k - 32.18
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 22.94
• Test Results Reported - 60,721
• Total Positive - 6,289
• Percent Positive - 9.82%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 8.41%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 3,982 (+74)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 719
• Patients in ICU - 428 (+9)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 181 (+4)
• Total Discharges - 381,238 (+621)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 35
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 60,376

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 76,769

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

• Total vaccine doses administered - 43,378,559
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 16,830
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 76,283
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 85.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 90.4%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older who are up to date - 14.4%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series - 74.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 76.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 who are up to date - 5.4%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed vaccine series - 39.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 40.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 who are up to date - 2.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 with completed vaccine series - 6.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 who are up to date - 6.9%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 76.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 80.5%
• Percent of all New Yorkers who are up to date - 12.4%

Each region's 7-day average of cases per 100K population is as follows:

Each region's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows**:

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

Yesterday, 6,289 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 6,439,014. A geographic breakdown is as follows:

Below is data that shows how many hospitalized individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 were admitted for COVID-19/COVID-19 complications and how many were admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions:

The Omicron variant now represents more than 95% of the viruses in circulation. For more information on variant tracking, please visit here: COVID-19 Variant Data | Department of Health (ny.gov).

Yesterday, there were 35 total new deaths reported due to COVID-19, bringing the total to 60,376. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:

New Yorkers looking to schedule vaccine appointments for 5-11-year-old children are encouraged to contact their child's pediatrician, family physician, county health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers, rural health centers, or pharmacies that may be administering the vaccine for this age group. Parents and guardians can visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations. Make sure that the provider offers the Pfizer-BioNTechCOVID-19 vaccine, as the other COVID-19 vaccines are not yet authorized for this age group.

Visit our website for parents and guardians for new information, frequently asked questions and answers, and resources specifically designed for parents and guardians of this age group.

A geographic breakdown of New Yorkers who have been vaccinated and boosted by region is as follows:

The COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Dashboard is available to update New Yorkers on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The New York State Department of Health requires vaccinating facilities to report all COVID-19 vaccine administration data within 24 hours; the vaccine administration data on the dashboard is updated daily to reflect the most up-to-date metrics in the state's vaccination effort. New York State Department of Health-reported data from NYSIIS and CIR differs slightly from federally reported data, which is inclusive of federally administered doses and other minor differences. Both numbers are included in the release above.