Governor Hochul Provides February 14 Update to New Yorkers On State’s Progress Combating COVID-19 

• by Urban CNY News
• February 14, 2023

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing and Treatment         47 Statewide Deaths Reported from February 11 to February 13      Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state’s progress combatting 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.   “I urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant and continue to use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy,” Governor Hochul said. “Be sure to 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 the flu and COVID-19 and reduce the patient burden on local hospitals. The Governor reiterated these basic steps when she updated New Yorkers on the state’s winter health preparedness efforts last month. The New York State Department of Health’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending February 4, shows influenza remaining widespread throughout the state for an eighteenth consecutive week, with a total of 310,653 positive cases across 57 counties reported to date. The report found that confirmed cases statewide dropped 19 percent to 2,374 for the week, while overall hospitalizations were down 48 percent from the previous week, at 196 hospitalizations across the state.  Additionally, there were 6 outbreaks in acute care and long-term care facilities, the report determined. There were no one influenza-associated pediatric death reported for the week, the total remaining at nine statewide.  With flu season continuing, Governor Hochul reminds all New Yorkers that it’s not too late 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.   The Health Department 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. For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.  Governor Hochul also continues to urge New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. In December, 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. 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.  Today’s data is summarized briefly below:   ** 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.   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:          Region Saturday, February 11, 2023 Sunday, February 12, 2023 Monday, February 13, 2023     Capital Region 12.82 13.01 14.17     Central New York 14.94 14.72 14.76     Finger Lakes 12.24 12.39 12.02     Long Island 9.87 9.73 9.64     Mid-Hudson 12.19 12.05 11.89     Mohawk Valley 13.39 13.57 12.98     New York City 10.45 10.46 10.53     North Country 15.65 15.82 15.48     Southern Tier 12.41 12.41 12.59     Western New York 13.78 13.57 13.74     Statewide 11.47 11.45 11.48     Each region’s 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows**:          Region Saturday, February 11, 2023 Sunday, February 12, 2023 Monday, February 13, 2023     Capital Region 7.09% 7.09% 7.70%     Central New York 7.39% 7.29% 7.30%     Finger Lakes 6.40% 6.52% 6.46%     Long Island 3.48% 3.40% 3.36%     Mid-Hudson 4.05% 3.96% 4.06%     Mohawk Valley 6.89% 7.21% 6.95%     New York City 3.65% 3.61% 3.72%     North Country 7.76% 8.00% 7.77%     Southern Tier 5.76% 5.74% 6.57%     Western New York 11.85% 11.74% 11.87%     Statewide 4.62% 4.57% 4.70%     ** 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 **:        Borough in NYC Saturday, February 11, 2023 Sunday, February 12, 2023 Monday, February 13, 2023     Bronx 3.79% 3.80% 3.71%     Kings 3.19% 3.14% 3.56%     New York 3.73% 3.74% 3.72%     Queens 4.00% 3.94% 3.86%