Governor Kathy 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.          

"As the weather continues to cool, I urge New Yorkers to be responsible and be sure to use the tools that are available to keep themselves, their loved ones, and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "Take advantage of the vaccine by staying up to date on doses. Test before gatherings or travel and if you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."         

Governor Hochul continues to urge New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for anyone age 12 or older and from Moderna for those 18 or older. Last week, the bivalent booster was approved by the FDA and CDC for anyone age 5 and older for the Pfizer-BioNTech and 6 and older for Moderna, and both will be available in the coming days. 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.

In addition, Governor Hochul is encouraging New Yorkers to get their annual flu vaccine as flu season is already widespread across New York State. 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.  

The State Department of Health recently announced the launch of 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. The advertisements began running, in both English and Spanish language, on Monday, October 10 and will continue through the end of November.     

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 - 14.98 
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 20.33   
• Test Results Reported - 36,140    
• Total Positive - 2,927 
• Percent Positive - 7.39%**    
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 6.53%**       
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,909 (+178) 
• Patients Newly Admitted - 1,064*   
• Patients in ICU - 293 (+19) 
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 105 (+13)  
• Total Discharges - 351,807 (+830)*    
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 55*    
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 58,483*    

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 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 (HHS) 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 - 74,675   

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.     

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 (HHS) 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 (HHS) 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, 2,927 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 6,113,561. 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).       

From Saturday, October 15th to Monday, October 17th, there were 55 total new deaths were reported due to COVID-19, bringing the total to 58,483. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:    

Important Note: HERDS data collection from health care facilities was paused due to the weekend and holiday and resumed on 10/17/2022. Where noted, totals include three days of cumulative data from 10/15/2022-10/17/2022. As a result, some data may appear higher than recent trends. Data affected is marked with an asterisk. 

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 (FQHCs), 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.  

Original source found here.