22 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 30, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
editorial
Photo via Getty Images
If we keep getting vaccinated, getting booster shots, masking up inside and staying home when
symptomatic, we can get omicron and COVID-19 under control, and keep the city moving.
Title: LaGuardia Airport’s new $4 billon Terminal B wins
prestigious UNESCO award
Summary: LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B has
won the prestigious 2021 Prix Versaille, the global
architecture and design award, for best new airport in
the world.
Reach: 22,519 (as of 12/27/2021)
The party goes
on, for now
To the best of our knowledge, New
York City hasn’t been hit by anything
quite like the omicron variant
of COVID-19 in decades — and that’s saying
something.
When the original form of the virus
arrived here in March-April 2020, it
unleashed a devastating and lethal impact
that brought normal life to a virtual standstill.
At its peak, the city saw close to 6,000
infections in a single day.
On the other hand, omicron has been
in New York City for about a month, and
it’s now infecting more than 10,000 New
Yorkers every day. Th is variant moves fast
and infects every host it can, vaccinated
and unvaccinated.
But nothing’s being shut down even as
omicron makes the rounds through the
city at “the most wonderful time of the
year,” when Christmas and New Year’s
parties abound, and people gather together
to celebrate the season.
Midnight Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral,
for instance, went on Christmas Day without
a hitch, as masked worshippers celebrated the
holiest of holidays on the Christian calendar.
And still to come is the biggest holiday
party of them all — the ball drop in Times
Square on New Year’s Eve. Th ough scaled
back signifi cantly because of omicron, the
party is set to go on with thousands of
people — all required to be masked and
vaccinated — welcoming in 2022.
Plenty of New Yorkers may say this is
madness and we need to rein activity in
again until the omicron storm passes. It’s
a valid argument to make, given the scientifi
c evidence and all we’ve been through
this pandemic.
But there is one encouraging fact about
this wave of COVID-19 cases that stands
against that argument: Th e reduced hospitalization
Far fewer New Yorkers are being hospitalized,
Vaccines are doing their job, reducing
the severity of illness among those with
breakthrough infections. Monoclonal
antibodies and other treatments have also
proven eff ective at saving lives.
As long as the hospitals can handle an
infl ux of COVID-19 cases, there’s no reason
to retreat back into capacity and activity
THE QUEENS
PUBLISHER AND PRESIDENT
CO-PUBLISHER & VICE PRESIDENT
PUBLISHER’S CHIEF OF STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ART DIRECTOR
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INSIDE SALES MANAGER
PRODUCTION MANAGER CLASSIFIEDS
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
rate.
blessedly, this time around.
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
SARA KAUFMAN
ZACHARY GEWELB
NIRMAL SINGH
ANGELICA ACEVEDO
JENNA BAGCAL, KATRINA MEDOFF, CARLOTTA MOHAMED,
JULIA MORO, BILL PARRY
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
KEITH FIOCCA
MARIA VALENCIA
Schneps Media, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
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Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Queens Courier
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restrictions. Th e situation, however, is
fl uid because it depends on what we do.
If we keep getting vaccinated, getting
booster shots, masking up inside and staying
home when symptomatic, we can get
omicron and COVID-19 under control,
and keep the city moving.
It truly is up to us.
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