HV COVID Hospitalizations Rising, 'Winter Surge Plan 2.0' Started

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — With "Winter Surge Plan 2.0" underway since Friday, state officials say they are focusing on five areas: keeping students in school, doubling down on masks and testing, preventing severe illness and death, increasing access to vaccines and boosters, and working with local leaders.

"We know how to overcome this winter surge: Get the vaccine, get the booster, mask up, get tested and stay home if you're feeling sick," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in her Monday briefing, the third of 2022 as holiday coronavirus cases climbed. "If we don't use these tools, many more in our communities will get sick."

The Hudson Valley is currently one of the hardest-hit regions in New York, as the western part of the state peaked earlier in December. The region's 7-day positivity rate was 21.42 percent Sunday. Only Long Island and New York City were higher, at 24.94 percent and 22.31 percent respectively.

The state's daily death toll topped 100 for the first time in months, and included one person each in Dutchess, Orange, Rockland and Ulster counties and six deaths in Westchester.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Hudson region have been rising since mid-November and steeply since Christmas.

Among the more controversial parts of Plan 2.0 is the decision to extend the mask-or-vax requirement, which was originally supposed to end (or be re-evaluated) Jan. 15. State officials have already decided to extend it for an additional two weeks. They said their aim is to protect workers and allow businesses to remain open.

In addition:

• SUNY and CUNY will be introducing new requirements for returning to campus. SEE: In-Person SUNY Students Will Require Boosters For COVID-19
• Providing tests to students and school districts: 5.56 million tests arrived for schools this week and between six and seven million more are expected to arrive in the coming days. New York has mobilized 40 trucks and 86 state personnel to distribute tests. Overall, New York State has secured 37 million tests for distribution.
• Working with counties to implement Test-to-Stay: Test-to-Stay policies have proven successful at keeping our kids safe and schools open. If a student tests positive, classmates can take a test kit back home with them and return to the classroom upon receiving a negative result instead of mandatory quarantining.
• Making masks more widely available: New York State has already distributed 5 million KN-95 masks, and more will be distributed through state legislators. Hundreds of thousands of masks will also be distributed for nursing home visitors.
• Launching new testing sites: Governor Hochul will open six new testing sites on January 4, totaling 19 state-run sites statewide. Additionally, Governor Hochul announced the launch of two new testing sites at MTA stations, in addition to previously announced MTA pop-ups.

SEE:

State To Open Hudson Valley COVID-19 Test Site

New State COVID-19 Testing Site Opens In Westchester

• Distributing antiviral treatments: New York is working with the Biden Administration to secure doses of the antiviral drug Pavloxid and make this treatment more widely available.
• Providing boosters to nursing homes: New York will begin requiring each nursing home to demonstrate their plan to increase vaccination and booster rates among their residents.
• Increasing pediatric vaccination: the most unvaccinated eligible cohort is New Yorkers aged 5-11. New York will increase our focus on pediatric vaccination.
• Getting booster shots to teenagers: we anticipate approval of Pfizer's booster shot for children aged 12-15 and will immediately begin outreach to that population once ready.

Hochul said the state would work closely with local officials. That pleased Rockland County Executive Ed Day, who had complained that the initial mask-to-vaxx mandate called for county health departments to enforce it without providing any resources. SEE: NY Holiday Vaxx-or-Mask Mandate: 4 HV County Execs Won't Enforce

"Given the resource support now being assured by the State, RCDOH staff will begin visiting indoor public places next week to educate business owners and managers about the New York State mask-or-vaccine mandate," Day said Friday. "Thanks to this State support, we can have our willing staff work overtime so as to not take away from the other vital efforts of the Health Department like our vaccination program."