Review COVID Guidance As School Starts In The HV, NY Officials Say

MID HUDSON VALLEY, NY — New York is reminding residents to help keep COVID-19 from spreading following reports of a new variant and rising COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state, including in the Hudson Valley.

As students return to school, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state health officials recommend that district officials review current CDC school guidance for COVID-19 prevention and work with their local health department to implement effective and feasible public health measures.

"While New Yorkers might want to be done with COVID-19, COVID-19 isn’t done with us," Hochul said in a news release. "With the increase in hospitalizations and reported cases this summer, I strongly urge everyone to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves and their communities."

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends schools:

• Promote vaccination and testing
• Encourage students, teachers, and faculty to stay home if they are sick and exhibiting symptoms
• Optimize ventilation and maintain improvements to indoor air quality to reduce the risk of germs and contaminants spreading through the air
• Teach and reinforce proper handwashing and hygiene practices

Schools that experience outbreaks should work with their local health department for timely outbreak response support, officials said. More guidance for schools is available here.

Hospitalizations for COVID have risen since the beginning of August, although starting from a much lower point than in 2021 or 2022.

The new variant, called BA.2.86, has not yet reached the state, state officials said. The Wadsworth Center in collaboration with Syracuse University has searched wastewater data from the last six months to confirm the new strain was not detected in New York — and is continuing to monitor.

Additionally, Wadsworth is coordinating with health care professionals and other labs across the state to expand the pool of clinical COVID samples submitted for analysis, hoping to increase the opportunity for detecting BA.2.86, officials said.

Earlier this year, the federal Food and Drug Administration advised vaccine manufactures to develop a new COVID-19 vaccine to target Omicron variants. The new shot is expected to be released by the three major COVID-19 vaccine producers in September.

Hochul encouraged New Yorkers to monitor the CDC and the New York State Department of Health websites frequently for information on updated COVID-19 vaccine administration recommendations.