Coronavirus-Related Hospitalizations At 43% Statewide: Hochul

LONG ISLAND, NY — Despite a dramatic increase in omicron-fueled hospitalizations that has some facilities in parts of New York State overwhelmed, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday that the first "glimmer of hope" may be coming after the winter surge of COVID-19 cases.

The past month has seen a rapid-fire rise in cases: The daily rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 cases increased sevenfold in December, from 29.8 cases per 100,000 vaccinated residents to 223.3, according to state information reported by NBCNewYork. And unvaccinated adults had a 1,583.1 rate per 100,000 by the end of the month, more than 6.5 times higher than at the beginning of the month, that post said.

But on Tuesday, Hochul said there was good news — the number of new cases is going down, with 48,686 positive cases reported Monday.

"Every one is one too many, and I look forward to the day when that plummets even more so, but right now we have an 18.6 percent statewide positivity. The seven day average is a little bit higher, lagging behind, but looks like we might be cresting over that peak," Hochul said, adding, "This is a glimmer of hope in a time when we desperately need that."

However, she said, while the rate of increase and number of cases is slowing down, the numbers are still high.

Areas such as New York City and Long Island are beginning to plateau and decrease, but in areas upstate, the numbers are still trending upward.

A total of 12,540 New Yorkers were hospitalized Monday and 160 died.

Hospitalizations, Hochul said, continue to lag behind the number of cases but the number remains very high, she said. The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 jumped from 16 percent to 43 percent since December 21.

"We talked about the cases that are actually truly admitted for COVID symptoms. And overall, we're still holding the line on the number of people in the hospital. Pre-omicron it was about 27,000. Right now it's 27,874. So hospital volume is still about the same. We have not seen a spike in that." But statewide, she said, 43 percent of hospitalizations are COVID-related, with 57 percent of those in hospitals non-COVID patients.

Upstate hospitalizations are lagging about two weeks behind downstate numbers and putting stress on the hospital systems, she said.

In areas where hospital capacity is below 10 percent, including the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley and Central New York regions, Hochul is now aiming to create regional capacity by ceasing elective surgery in neighboring hospitals. This will take place for two weeks in those areas and then will be reassessed.

"Overwhelmed hospitals hurt everyone," she said.

A major problem is those who go to emergency rooms for COVID-19 testing, Hochul said. A total of 20 percent of all emergency room patients are there to be tested, overwhelming the ERs. To that end, testing vans in parking lots have been deployed.

The push continues to see New Yorkers get their second doses, Hochul said. So far, the state has sent out 763,000 texts and 2.4 million robocalls urging people to get their second shots.

Significant progress has been seen in the 12 to 17 age group, with 77 percent now having received a first dose.

"This is the armor we need to wrap our children in as they go off to school and play with friends," Hochul said.

With 91 percent of the pediatric admissions for children ages 5 to 11 unvaccinated in December, Hochul unveiled a new VaxforKids initiative, including a new televised advertisement.

Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said as of Tuesday, 49 million tests have been ordered with 13 million received. Hochul said 7.68 million rapid tests have gone out to schools so far, with 3 million to New York City schools and another million being sent this week.

Getting tests to schools remains the top priority, Bray said.

A total of 952,000 tests and 1.2 million masks are also going out to nursing homes, where soon, visitors will have to wear surgical masks and show proof of a negative test within 24 hours before seeing loved ones.

The number of individuals being tested has seen a marked increase, Hochul said, with 425,782 tests given on January 7, compared to 182,000 at Thanksgiving.

Huge volume of cases leads to cessation of county contact tracing

With omicron highly contagious, although not as severe as other variants, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health Dr. Mary Bassett said the numbers of those testing positive are "setting records," up fourfold than the number of positive tests in December.

Due to the sheer volume of cases, Hochul said county health departments can cease contact tracing and focus more on self-management. The reason for that, she said, is so that local health departments can direct their energies on what makes the biggest difference — testing and vaccinations.

Clear guidance on isolation and guidance will be released for New Yorkers Wednesday, Hochul said. The state's website will also include attestation forms for those who have been isolated or quarantined, for employers.

"The big change for New Yorkers is, if you test positive, you should no longer expect a call from the health department," Hochul said. "Instead, you can follow isolation and quarantine guidance made public Wednesday and go to the state's website."

Counties can still contract trace, but the decision to do so is optional, Hochul said. "This is in response to their requests because with 12,000 new cases a day, it's almost impossible" to contact trace, she said.