As Omicron Surges, NYC To Issue 1 Million Masks And 500k At-Home Tests (New York: inspectors, subsidized)
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As long as people who have Omicron continue not to show serious symptoms (although in the UK someone died from Omicron) and the hospitals are not being overwhelmed, I don't understand all the hoopla. Maybe, they're just planning for the worst. Anyway...FYI.
New York City will build new testing sites, hand out one million masks and distribute half a million at-home tests to combat skyrocketing COVID cases that city officials are partially blaming on the highly contagious omicron variant, the de Blasio administration said Thursday.
The surge plan will also deploy inspectors as early as Friday to ensure businesses are complying with new vaccine and mask mandates.
With cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 increasing throughout the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio laid out on Thursday measures that the city is taking to reduce the spread.
In the past three days, the COVID-19 positivity rate doubled across New York City. Though the Omicron variant is spreading, data shows that the variant appears to be less severe than previous COVID-19 variants such as Delta.
“We have seen a very substantial increase in COVID cases in the last few days, and it is clear that the Omicron variant is here in New York City in full force,” said de Blasio. “We are announcing a series of measures to address the situation.”
The first measure taking place is that Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi will be issuing a health advisory providing guidance on how to keep you and your loved ones safe during upcoming holiday celebrations. He suggested holding outdoor celebrations if possible, or to wear masks if in the company of relatives who may not be vaccinated, or who have pre-existing conditions that may make them more vulnerable to the virus.
In the advisory, Dr. Chokshi encourages all eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated, mask up in public settings and upgrade to KN95s, KF94s, or N95s if possible, and to get tested and stay home if you are feeling unwell.
As long as people who have Omicron continue not to show serious symptoms (although in the UK someone died from Omicron) and the hospitals are not being overwhelmed, I don't understand all the hoopla. Maybe, they're just planning for the worst. Anyway...FYI.
l.
Hospitals are being overwhelmed, just not yet in NYC.
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin.
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have just asked the Feds for help with their strained system, with Wisc. asking for 100 FEMA personnel. We're probably next.
Hospitals are being overwhelmed, just not yet in NYC.
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Arizona. Pennsylvania just asked the Feds for help with their strained system. We're probably next.
Even with vaccine and mask mandates in place, COVID-19 is running rampant across New York City, with the city’s 7-day positivity rate doubling in just three days time, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Propelled by the proliferation of the highly-contagious Omicron variant and increased indoor activity amid the colder weather, the startling spike in infections is unprecedented, according to Dr. Jay Varma, senior health advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Um, we’ve never seen this before,” Varma tweeted Thursday morning, showing a Health Department graphic of testing data indicating that the citywide 7-day positivity rate jumped from 3.91% on Dec. 9 to an astonishing 7.3% on Dec. 12.
“This is #SARSCoV2 evading both vaccine & virus induced immunity *against infection* unlike any variant before,” Varma tweeted. “That’s [the] only explanation for dramatic jump in positivity. Consensus for now (but subject to change) is that immunity *against severe disease* should be far better.”
Hospitals overwhelmed?
I can not show any sympathy for New York City if they use that line.
They have been closing one hospital after another ,year over year since the early 50's.
Rather than leave near empty hospitals open " just in case " it was better for financial reasons to shut them down.
Think of the United States Military. There are about one and a half million active duty members.
Would it be wise to shut down the military and send everyone home because err ....ummm....there is no war ?
The simple answer is no. Our men and women are on standby just in case there is a meaningful threat .
State and City run Hospitals should follow the same concept. Just in case.
Private Hospitals should be subsidized....just in case.
Instead many hospitals are closed and now a meaningful threat is upon us
and we are feeling " Suddenly overwhelmed ? "
Learn from your mistakes and make the necessary changes.
Everything else is just an excuse.
The predicted pre-holiday COVID-19 surge caused New York City’s COVID-19 positivity rate to double in the last three days, and concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant prompted renewed talks of more public restrictions to slow the spread.
Even so, Mayor-elect Eric Adams says it’s “going to take a lot for me to lock down the city.” At a press conference at Borough Hall Dec. 16, he talked about trusting the science as numbers rise.
When Adams becomes mayor, he said he would establish a command center for the virus in downtown Brooklyn.
“We’re going to be smarter. We learned a lot. We are already building out a COVID team that is going to consist of business and supply chains, law enforcement, medical professionals,” Adams said. “And it’s going to take a lot for me to close down the city. And we need to find out what the needs are on the ground and better coordinate our resources.”
The mayor-elect from Brooklyn also suggested reopening the Javits Center as a temporary hospital, if necessary. So far, hospitalizations are not spiking as much as the virus is spreading, thanks to the vaccination effort which has helped reduce the severity of breakthrough cases.
As for the future of the city’s top health official, Dr. Dave Chokshi, Adams said he is considering keeping him in the position.
Why people are so easy to get caught up in the US media hype so fast every single time is beyond me. Haven't we learned yet? This is the, what, 4th "Wave"? How many of city-data users have we lost to Covid? Anyone missing?
Yes Covid will be around FOREVER. We will always have people sick with it. People who are very elderly, frail from other diseases will probably not bode well with covid. If you are relatively healthy you will probably be just fine. Just like how people with cancer can die from the FLU or any other secondary condition.
Good news is that it is mutating to a less harmful variant. Great.
Let's stop counting cases, if we counted common colds or flu this way the media and politicians would still make you feel just as scared.
What I didn't get was... if the Omicron cases are mild, why are the hospitals being overwhelmed? Until... I heard on NY1 (or was it CNN), the Delta is still infecting people and it's the Delta that's far more serious than the Omicron and that's what's causing the increase in hospitalization. Or something like that. Sigh.
Why people are so easy to get caught up in the US media hype so fast every single time is beyond me. Haven't we learned yet? This is the, what, 4th "Wave"? How many of city-data users have we lost to Covid? Anyone missing?
Yes Covid will be around FOREVER. We will always have people sick with it. People who are very elderly, frail from other diseases will probably not bode well with covid. If you are relatively healthy you will probably be just fine. Just like how people with cancer can die from the FLU or any other secondary condition.
Good news is that it is mutating to a less harmful variant. Great.
Let's stop counting cases, if we counted common colds or flu this way the media and politicians would still make you feel just as scared.
Enjoy Life.
I agree. We gotta learn to live with this. I think it's really unfair that if people have their shots and booster they have to stay home for 2 weeks if they feel ok and have no symptoms. They did what they had too.
Maybe they could hire back some of that hospital staff they fired. Or maybe not, anyone qualified probably already flew south.
The Gov't should be handing out HCQ, Ivermectin, Vitamin D and Zinc Quercetin.
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