Key COVID Indicators Increasing In NYC As Omicron Looms

NEW YORK CITY — COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising in New York City — and all before the omicron finds a foothold in the city as officials fear.

The city had an average of 2,104 cases per day as of Thursday — an 87 percent jump since the start of November, according to data.

And the increase, though worrisome, is even greater in other parts of New York. Gov. Kathy Hochul hinted Thursday that strict measures could be on the table to stop the virus's spread outside the city.

“This red is an alarm,” she said, referring to a map.

Perhaps the most concerning detail about the COVID-19 increase is it appears almost entirely driven by the delta variant, not the potentially more-transmissible new omicron variant.

Thirteen omicron cases have been confirmed in New York City out of 20 statewide, Hochul said.

She said the cases so far indicate that it's spreading farther and wider than is being detected so far.

“At this point, we are prepared to say what we have is community spread,” she said. “It is not coming from people who have traveled, it is being spread in the communities.”

“I want to say the uptick that we’re seeing in cases and in hospitalizations reflects the delta variant,” said Mary Bassett, the state's health commissioner.

The omicron variant's potential to be even more easily spread than its delta predecessor prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio to impose a strict vaccine mandate for private sector workers in the city starting Dec. 27.

The mandate surprised many business leaders, but de Blasio defended it as necessary to avoid crowded hospitals and avert a return to shutdowns.

"This is a very, very wily opponent," he said Thursday on Hot 97. "And that the triggering thing for me is like, you know, never again — never let this never let this disease back in, because I remember the sirens. I remember the horrible things (we) went through. And also, I want to save every life. And I know every single additional person who gets vaccinated, every booster shot, it is going to help us save lives, period."