There have now been over 400,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States and over 26,000 people in New York City have died from the virus. The race is on to not only get the number of cases down but also meet the demand of administering the vaccine.
Numbers indicate that new cases of COVID-19 seven-day average is 5,009. The seven-day rolling average of city residents testing positive for the virus is 8.23%. Only about 24% of ICU beds are available in the city as the hospitalization rate continues to grow at 5.05 per 100,000.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the latest fight in controlling the spread of the virus is battling the new strains that are highly contagious. Even with the vaccine, Cuomo says New Yorkers need to continue to take precautions or there could be dark months ahead.
“We are seeing new strains of the virus from the UK, South Africa and Brazil that could spark a second wave,” Cuomo said. “New York has used our experience from the spring to prepare our hospitals and our residents as we continue to fight this invisible enemy. As we prepare for better days, I encourage all New Yorkers to remain New York Tough: wear a mask, social distance and avoid large gatherings.”
While COVID-19 cases going down sounds like good news, the vaccine effort is facing roadblocks. Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York City is on the path to run out of vaccine supply this week and called on the federal government to send additional doses.
“If we don’t get more vaccines quickly––a new supply of vaccine––we will have to cancel appointments and no longer give shots after Thursday for the remainder of the week at a lot of our sites,” de Blasio said. “We will not get the current schedule resupplied again until next Tuesday, which means for many of our sites we couldn’t vaccinate again until the day after next Wednesday.”
The mayor is calling on the federal government, the state and manufacturers to get the city the maximum supply. He hopes the new administration in the White House will help fix things.
“I’m very hopeful the Biden administration is going to fix a lot of this,” de Blasio said. “They are just coming into office, of course, it’s going to take time, but their commitment is there and I appreciate that deeply.”
There are currently four 24/7 vaccine sites open and 15 health department hubs. New 24/7 sites are opening soon including the Empire Outlets in Staten Island, Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. New locations have also opened at NYCHA buildings.
The low supply of COVID vaccines caused the 24/7 Brooklyn Army Terminal site to close after operating for only six days. Many had made appointments to receive the vaccine but were turned away.
While the push for people to get the vaccine rages on, a new poll from Siena College reveals that a quarter of New Yorkers don’t plan on getting it.
“New York––like the country––has a long way to go on getting people vaccinated for COVID-19, with only 7% saying they’ve received the vaccine,” said Steven Greenberg, Siena College pollster. “More than two-thirds of those who’ve not yet been vaccinated say they plan to but about one-quarter of New Yorkers say they don’t plan on getting the vaccine, including about one-third of Republicans, independents, voters under 35, and Black and Latino voters.”
In the same poll, 31% of New Yorkers think the worst of the pandemic is over while 55% say the worst is yet to come.
