LI COVID-19 Surge Is 'Epidemic Of Unvaccinated People': Doctor

OCEANSIDE, NY — The holiday season is upon us and so is the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Cases of COVID-19 are surging across the country and in New York.

Gov. Hochul said statewide the positivity rate is up by 70 percent since Thanksgiving, with an uptick in cases on Long Island this week.

"I think this is all going to be related to omicron," Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau, told Patch. "It's highly contagious. It spreads more rapidly than even delta does."

The increase is also potentially going to impact hospitals, Glatt said.

While breakthrough cases can never be ruled out, the surge should be a wake-up call for the unvaccinated.

"This will certainly be an illness that will be mostly in unvaccinated people," Glatt said. "This is becoming an epidemic of unvaccinated people."

Those who haven't gotten fully vaccinated, including a booster Moderna or Pfizer shot, shouldn't wait.

"It's critically important that everybody who needs a booster, gets a booster," he said. "It will definitely diminish the likelihood of getting [a] serious illness."

Proactively, Hochul issued an indoor mask mandate until at least mid-January, as families and friends gather.

Glatt wouldn't comment on the mandate as it's more "political" in nature. But, medically, "everybody needs to be taking the appropriate measures for themselves."

However, the Oceanside-based doctor is concerned that the situation will get worse in the short term. "It's a question of how much."