Pandemic starting another chapter as 2021 heads to a close
BY ROBBIE SEQUEIRA
As 2021 comes to a close, New York
is grappling with the latest chapter
in the ceaseless COVID-19 pandemic.
State hospitalizations skyrocketed
over the holiday weekend — topping
5,500 for the fi rst time since late February
— as the volume of omicron
cases balloon throughout New York
City.
The Bronx reported a whopping
3,401 new cases on Dec. 26, a continuation
of the record-high case counts
seen on Dec. 18, when the borough
had 1,365 confi rmed COVID-19 cases
— its highest single-day case increase
since Feb. 13. On Dec. 20, City Councilman
Kevin Riley, District 12, announced
on Twitter that he had tested
positive for the coronavirus. Riley,
who is fully vaccinated, did experience
symptoms and was quarantining.
Then, two days later, Councilwoman
elect Althea Stevens, District
16, also announced that she had tested
positive for the virus and was dealing
with mild symptoms.
Of additional concern, the Bronx
has also seen its positivity rate spike
from 1.2% at the end of November to
13.5% entering Tuesday. But due to
immense progress with vaccinations,
the rise in cases hasn’t overwhelmed
Bronx ICU units, with 80% of local
ICU’s fi lled and just 47 COVID hospitalizations
in the past seven days.
Entering Tuesday, roughly
1,115,733 Bronxites — 78.7% — have
received at least one dose of vaccines
and 67% are considered fully vaccinated,
which accounts for COVID-19
booster shots.
However, the rise of the omicron
variant has led public health offi -
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cials and New York offi cials to act accordingly.
As of Tuesday, the nation
is averaging 139,764 new cases each
day, according to data from Johns
Hopkins University — up 16% from a
week ago.
U.S. health offi cials have shortened
isolation restrictions for those
who test positive for the coronavirus
and shortening the time that those
exposed to the virus have to quarantine.
According to the CDC, people with
the virus can leave isolation after
fi ve days, a number down from the
previous guidance of 10 days. People
exposed to the virus can also leave
quarantine after fi ve days. The CDC
announced the changes Monday.
CDC offi cials said the guidance is
in keeping with growing evidence that
the coronavirus is most infectious in
the two days before and three days after
symptom onset. Dr. Anthony Fauci,
the nation’s top U.S. infectious disease
expert, said the U.S. should also consider
a vaccination mandate for domestic
air travel, signaling a potential
embrace of an idea the Biden administration
has previously considered.
Additionally, the defi nition of what
it means to be fully vaccinated is likely
to change.
The CDC considers a person fully
vaccinated two weeks after their second
dose in a two-shot series, such as
the Pfi zer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines,
or two weeks after the singledose
J&J/Janssen vaccine.
The Wall Street Journal reported
that the Biden administration is considering
using the phrase “up to date”
instead of “fully vaccinated.” The CDC
has confi rmed that anyone — regardless
of vaccination status — can likely
spread the omicron variant to other
people.
With at-home COVID tests in short
supply and long wait times being seen
at testing facilities throughout the
borough, Bronx residents fl ocked to a
newly-opened, state-run COVID testing
site in the Concourse Village Community
Center on Monday. The addition
of more state-run testing sites and
shift to indoor locations like MTA Subway
stations is a part of Democratic
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s efforts to mobilize
testing efforts.
“We are working to make testing
as widely available and accessible as
possible for New Yorkers,” Hochul said
last week. “These new walk-in testing
opportunities at our MTA subway stations
will provide greater testing access
and support our efforts to keep
ourselves and our loved ones safe during
this winter surge.”
A far cry from the progress made in curbing the delta variant in June and July, the Bronx averaged
1,768 new confi rmed cases per day over the last week. Data courtesy Covid Act Now
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