Hospitalizations Up 70% Since Thanksgiving: 'An Alarming Jump'

LONG ISLAND, NY — On the second day of a newly-imposed statewide mask mandate, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the measure might not have been necessary at all if more New Yorkers had just heeded the call to get vaccinated.

Hochul said that the numbers confirm that a predicted holiday surge has come to fruition, with the number of cases per 100,000 on a seven-day average spiking 58 percent since Thanksgiving, up from 43 percent last week.

"We are not trending in the right direction," Hochul said.

The number of new hospitalizations, which Hochul has said keeps her up at night, are up 70 percent since Thanksgiving, compared to 29 percent last week, "an alarming jump statewide," she said.

The purpose of the new mandate, which requires either proof of vaccination or masks indoors in public spaces, is twofold, to protect the health of New Yorkers and the economy — at a time when hospitalizations have spiked dramatically, Hochul said.

The "short-term measure," meant to add another layer of protection during the holiday surge, is in place though January 15, at which point it will be re-evaluated, she said.

Tuesday marks one year since the first vaccination was given in the nation, in New York. "The vaccination has always been our ticket out of this," Hochul said. "If 100 percent of New Yorkers had done it, it would be in the rear-view mirror now. This is a significant anniversary. This vaccination was a turning point in our war against COVID."

Although New Yorkers have a vaccination she said works, and although there are 31 million shots in arms, 30 percent of residents are still not fully vaccinated, Hochul said.

"This is a crisis of the unvaccinated," she said. "If I sound a little frustrated, perhaps I am — this did not have to be the case."

And, she added, there's only been 2 percent increase in New Yorkers vaccinated since Thanksgiving, with children a group where vaccination needs to increase. "The number of children vaccinated are not where they should be," she said.

Hochul unveiled signage and other resources to help business owners. The state is still down 120,000 jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industries, she said. The pandemic had a "cataclysmic effect on the psyche of New Yorkers," including not just business owners but children who lost months of normal education, she said.

The focus of the mandate is to protect health and keep the doors of businesses open, Hochul said.

To the extent that the mandate has sparked criticism, Hochul quoted Theodore Roosevelt's "arena" speech and said critics don't count, it is those "bloodied and married", fighting in the arena.

With an eye toward bolstering vaccinations, new holiday-themed vaccination sites will be locate at malls, houses of worship and other holiday event venues, Hochul said.

She also announced an Israeli study that said the Pfizer booster appears effective against the omicron variant.

Of the omicron variant, with 38 cases now reported statewide, including four in Suffolk and three in Nassau County, Hochul said the variant is not what is driving policy and remains currently a "side issue."

When asked why "fully tested" is not defined as two vaccinations plus a booster, Hochul said the approach has been rational, with a realization that 30 percent of New Yorkers still need their first shot; that definition change, to include the booster, will likely come later, she said.

Asked about Nassau County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman, who has said he won't enforce the mask mandate and has criticized Hochul for a "broad stroke" approach, Hochul reminded that Laura Curran is currently still Nassau County Executive and is supportive of the measure. Also, she said, 73 percent of New York State is represented by leadership that supports the mandate and she hopes the newly elected, when taking the oath of office, will "follow suit."

It is also up to individuals to do the right thing and get vaccinated, she said.

And, she said, no one should be "over confident" about the number in any county in the state. "We just don't know what the future will bring," she said.

The answer remains vaccinations and boosters, she said. "My hope is that everyone will be vaccinated in New York State," Hochul said.