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

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

Hochul said that the numbers confirm that the predicted holiday surge has arrived, with the number of cases per 100,000 on a seven-day average spiking 58 percent since Thanksgiving, and the number of new hospitalizations up 70 percent since Thanksgiving, compared to 29 percent last week — what she called "an alarming jump."

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, Hochul said.

The short-term measure, meant to add another layer of protection during the holiday surge, is in place though Jan. 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."

However, 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 a 2 percent increase in New Yorkers vaccinated since Thanksgiving.

The focus of the mandate is to protect health and keep the doors of businesses open, Hochul said, and not to worsen the pandemic's "cataclysmic effect on the psyche of New Yorkers."

"We have to take what, in contrast to the steps that had to be taken in the past, is truly a minor infringement. Your children are already wearing masks. They're very adaptable. They're fine," she said. "At some point we'll be able to announce that time is over. We're not there yet. And the people who last year were told that you couldn't gather with family and in your own home with groups larger than 10, and you could not go out to restaurants and you could not have that wedding, you cannot go to that funeral — We've come so far since then."

To show it can be done, she cited New York City, "the epicenter of the pandemic," where people have for months followed the city's mandate, wearing masks and showing proof of vaccination in businesses and entertainment venues.

"Upstate they have options NYC didn't," she said.

NYC is where the rate of COVID-19 cases is lowest in the state. As of Dec. 13, New York City had 42.59 cases per 100,000 residents, by far the lowest in the state. Only the Hudson region's statistics were also in the 40s, with 47.72 cases per 100,000 residents. The region with the highest number of cases per 100,000 residents was the Southern Tier, with 85.21 cases per 100,000.

Responding to criticism of the state's move, Hochul cited Theodore Roosevelt's "arena" speech. SEE: NY Holiday Vaxx-or-Mask Mandate: 4 HV County Execs Won't Enforce

"I'm not going to engage in a political discussion, this is too important," she said. "It's not about calling a press conference."

Asked about Nassau County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman, who held a news conference to say he won't enforce the holiday mandate and criticize Hochul for a "broad stroke" approach, Hochul pointed out that Laura Curran, currently Nassau County Executive, is supportive of the measure.

Unlike the mandates of 2020, she said, this is not open-ended. "I've given us a time frame — during our time of most vulnerability."

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

She said an informal survey by her office found 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 take their responsibilities seriously.

Of the omicron variant, with 38 cases now reported statewide, mostly in New York City, Westchester County and on Long Island, Hochul said the variant is not what is driving policy and remains currently a "side issue."

The answer remains vaccinations and boosters, she said. With an eye toward bolstering vaccinations, new holiday-themed vaccination sites will be located at malls, houses of worship and other holiday event venues, Hochul said.

"My hope is that everyone will be vaccinated in New York State," Hochul said. She said she looks forward to the day when it is just another routine vaccination and booster like all the others that have saved lives for a century.

Patch Editor Lisa Finn contributed to this report.