New COVID Vaccine Expected In New York By Friday

NEW YORK — Doses of the new vaccine for the new COVID variants are on their way to New York — some were shipped last night, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a media briefing Wednesday.

"It'll be in New York on Friday," Hochul said. "Make an appointment."

The rollout comes after an advisory panel at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel voted Tuesday to approve the new vaccine for anyone six months and older.

"I know everyone wants to be done with COVID, but COVID is not done with us," the governor said, pointing out that cases are rising — above the statewide rate on Long Island, in the Hudson Valley and in New York City, seen by the yellow, light blue and dark blue lines respectively in the graphic below. "That is what we have come to expect every fall."

"Cases pales in comparison to the end of 2021 and the second half of 2022," she acknowledged. "The curve is still well below the second half of 2022. ... This is not the bad old days at all. But shame on us if we don’t see the warnings, take precautions, be ready, know this can spread very quickly. We have the tools we need."

One of those tools is the drug paxlovid, she reminded listeners. "If you test positive and you want to avoid longer term consequences, ask your doctor about paxlovid. It's still available and it's still free."

She also recommended people begin thinking of COVID like flu.

"Just like you should get a flu shot every year, make this part of your routine health maintenance because this is the new normal."

What’s different between this vaccine and the ones rolled out in 2021?

"It is literally a new vaccine, it is not a booster shot," she said. "So it doesn’t matter if you’ve already been vaccinated. It’s not protecting you today."

Case rates are no longer the best metric, she said. "The cases don’t tell the whole story. People aren’t reporting any more. Now you walk in, buy a test at a drugstore — you test positive you stay at home, let your family know, let the office know. That makes it harder to make comparisons to the past."

So, state officials are keeping a closer watch on hospitalization rates. State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said at the briefing that 60 percent of current hospital patients with COVID statewide were hospitalized because of COVID, a rate that has also been going up.

Dr. McDonald said 88 percent of COVID deaths now occur in people 65 and over.

Nursing homes are required to make the new vaccines available, Hochul said. Her office is sending a letter Wednesday to every nursing home in the state to remind them, and also to remind them they need to stockpile PPE.

"The whole idea is to be pre-emptive when it comes to our nursing home population," she said. "Same with schools — two vulnerable populations. In New York, 2.5 million children went back to school last week. Indoors. We want to make sure every school district has the ability to have safe in-person learning."

Meanwhile, health officials nationwide are seeing a worrisome trend, they said.

"All across the country, hospitalizations are on the rise for babies. We’re seeing more infants having to be taken care of in the hospital because they’re so sick," Hochul said. "It's heartbreaking for a young parent."

Babies can't protect themselves, they count on the adults around them to do the right thing, she said.

"So here’s the simple message, get the vaccine. It is by far the best way to protect yourself and those around you," she said.

"The alternative is being sick, so I think rational New Yorkers who are not listening to extreme voices, I believe they’re paying attention now. Everybody knows somebody who’s had COVID recently," Hochul said. "The reality is setting in. People are actually saying 'oh it’s back.' We’re not talking about hypotheticals."

She said she had noticed more people wearing masks. "They’re just being a little cautious," she said. "But what’s going to be a game changer is Friday, when people can go in and get a vaccine."