NYC Moves Past Latest COVID Peak, Officials Say

NEW YORK CITY — A slow-moving wave of coronavirus cases in New York City appears to have peaked just in time for summer, officials announced Thursday.

Every major COVID-19 indicator tracked by city health experts is now "decreasing," according to data. Citywide, the seven-day average positivity rate stood at 7.6 percent as of Thursday, data shows — down from double-digit levels just a few weeks ago.

Ashwin Vasan, the city's health commissioner, said the declines appear to marks the end of a two-month sustained increase of COVID-19 transmission.

"Cases have fallen since May 23, giving us confidence that we have passed the peak and we are heading into a safer environment," he tweeted.

The city remains officially under a "high" risk alert for COVID-19, and people are still encouraged to wear masks in public indoor spaces.

But the numbers were good enough for Mayor Eric Adams to also announce Thursday that masks soon will be optional for kids ages 2 through 4.

"Throughout the current wave, schools have remained the safest places for our children and beginning Monday, June 13, we will make masks optional for 2-4 year old children in all early childhood settings," he said.

Data shows that daily detected COVID-19 infections can still vary day-by-day, but are on an overall decline.

Patch writer Anna Quinn contributed to this report.

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