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US

New York City expected to elevate to ‘high’ coronavirus alert level in coming days, indoor masks urged

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NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — New York City is expected to enter the high COVID-19 alert level in the coming days, and health officials are strongly recommending wearing masks in public indoor settings.

The city is currently in the medium alert level, but that is expected to change as cases increase.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issued an advisory Monday that urges all residents to use high-quality masks – such as KN95 and KF94 masks and N95 respirators – when indoors and in a public setting, including at grocery stores, building lobbies, offices, stores, and other common or shared spaces where individuals may interact, such as restrooms, hallways, elevators, and meeting rooms.

The advisory notes particular importance for people who are at high risk of severe illness and death, namely those who are over 65 or who are unvaccinated.

Map: 7-day rolling positivity rates by Zip code:

The health department advises people at high risk of severe illness due to an underlying medical condition, older adults and people who are unvaccinated, including children under the age of five who are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, to avoid crowded settings and non-essential gatherings, particularly indoors.

In addition, the advisory notes that the impact of COVID-19 transmission is higher in settings with a high number of unvaccinated people.

Despite the steady increase in COVID-19 infections across the state, New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted on Monday that the city is not yet ready to reinstate its indoor mask mandate.

“We’re not at that point yet,” he said. “We’re not at the point of doing anything other than urging New Yorkers while you’re indoors in large set-in social settings. We’re not going to panic. We’re going to continue to be prepared.”

Infection rates across the city have been steadily on the rise for more than two months, and this week, New York City reported its highest average number of new infections since late January.

Adams stressed that even with increases, the city is in a different place than it was at the onset of the pandemic, with key tools now at people’s disposal to help blunt the impact of the virus.

“We now have the antivirals, we didn’t have that before,” he said. “We have more tools, so we don’t have to fight the war we had before. This is a new war. And we’re going to use all those tools to do so.”

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On the state level, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reported on Monday that she continues to work with federal and state officials to ensure the state is prepared for any sort of surge that could appear in the months ahead.

“Today, I spoke with White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha about the state of the pandemic and the Administration’s preparation plans to ensure states have the resources, supplies, and distribution networks needed to manage potential surges across the country this summer and fall,” Hochul said in a press release.

Adams recently took action to bolster the city’s COVID-19 preparedness and prepare New Yorkers for any future waves, announcing the distribution of an additional 16.5 million at-home COVID-19 tests and 1 million high-quality masks over the next month to 1,600 public schools and more than 1,000 community organizations, libraries, cultural institutions, houses of worship, and elected offices participating in the city’s At-Home Test Distribution Program.

The distribution effort joins other measures to blunt the worst impacts of the current wave, including the distribution of 35,000 COVID-19 courses of treatment to date.

The city has also distributed 20 million at-home tests to schools and participating community organizations to date, meaning this additional surge of tests will bring the total distributed at-home tests to over 36 million. Additionally, eligible New Yorkers are encouraged to take advantage of free, at-home delivery of COVID-19 treatments.

“It’s never been easier for New Yorkers to get a free at-home test, a high-quality mask, or access COVID-19 treatments in New York City,” Adams said. “At-home tests and masks provide reliable and convenient ways for New Yorkers to confidently and safely protect themselves and others and allow them to enjoy our city. I encourage all New Yorkers to go out and pick up a free at-home test as soon as they can to remain prepared, to mask up in indoor public settings, and to take advantage of the life-saving treatments we now have readily available to fight this virus. These combined tools not only are a blessing that we previously did not have access to, but also will allow us to combat this disease in the future, instead of in the past.”

Through community partnerships, Test & Trace has distributed 2.3 million tests and currently maintains a stockpile of tens of millions of tests that can be rapidly distributed if needed.

At-home test distribution through Test & Trace’s network of 192 prominent cultural sites and library branches brings critical self-testing resources to areas of need at familiar locations in all five boroughs. Test & Trace makes weekly deliveries of at-home tests to participating cultural sites and libraries, where they are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Additionally, over 850 community and faith-based organizations – including 243 houses of worship – have signed up to regularly distribute at-home tests. Any New York City-based community organization that would like to participate as an at-home test distribution partner is encouraged to sign up online.

New Yorkers can find an at-home test distribution pick up location most convenient to them and their hours of operation by visiting the city’s COVID-19 testing page. New Yorkers with a disability who need assistance or have questions regarding at home test kits should call 311. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing and use American Sign Language can call via video phone at 646-396-5830.

New Yorkers who test positive using an at-home test can call 212-COVID19 to be connected to resources like free meal and care package delivery. Care packages contain personal protection equipment (PPE) for a household of three to quarantine, two rapid antigen at-home tests, and other necessities to help New Yorkers safely isolate.

Multiple COVID-19 treatments are available for people ages 12 and older, and can be delivered to New Yorkers’ homes for free. For more information on COVID-19 treatments, please call 212-COVID19 and press 9 or visit nyc.gov/health/covidtreatments.

Calling 212-COVID19 provides New Yorkers an immediate connection to a clinician who can refer them to monoclonal antibody treatment or prescribe antiviral medications, like Paxlovid, and arrange to have it delivered to their home that same day for free.

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US

New York City lifts COVID vaccine and mask mandates Monday; New Jersey ends masking for schools

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NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — New York City is taking another step to bounce back from the pandemic, with the city set to drop several safety protocols, including a school mask mandate and vaccination requirements for businesses.

Restaurants and indoor venues will no longer have to require proof of vaccination.

However, some public indoor businesses like Broadway shows, are keeping their mask and vaccine requirements through at least the end of this month.

You’ll also still need to wear your mask on mass transit or when you see a doctor.

In public schools, masks will be optional for students ages 5 and up.

Masks are still required for those participating in early childhood programs and in the nurse’s office.

Right now, the COVID infection rate is at 1.8%. That’s the lowest level since August.

In New Jersey, they are also ending their mask mandate for schools and daycares.

It also marks the end of New Jersey’s public health emergency on Monday.

ALSO READ | Mayor Eric Adams says Key to NYC, public school masks mandate both end on Monday

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Health

COVID-19 Update: What are the symptoms of the omicron variant?

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NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — The omicron variant is leading to a significant surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States and across Europe.

The World Health Organization said 89% of those with confirmed omicron infections in Europe reported symptoms common with other coronavirus variants, including cough, sore throat, fever. The variant has mostly been spread by young people in their 20s and 30s in the region, WHO Europe regional director Dr. Hans Kluge said.

Although much remains unknown about omicron, Kluge said it appears to be more infectious than previous variants, leading to “previously unseen transmission rates” in countries with a significant number of omicron cases. In those countries, cases of the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days.

Early research has found no clear difference in the symptom profile of the delta and omicron variants, according to scientists with the ZOE COVID study, which analyses thousands of Covid symptoms uploaded to an app by the British public.

Their top 5 symptoms:

1. Runny nose
2. Headache
3. Fatigue (mild or severe)
4. Sneezing
5. Sore throat

About half of the responders experienced the classic three symptoms of fever, cough, or loss of smell or taste.

Most of the contributors to the ZOE study were vaccinated and did not experience severe illness or require hospitalization.

The first U.S. case of COVID-19 attributed to the Omicron variant was detected on December 1, 2021.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most commonly reported symptoms linked to omicron so far are cough, fatigue, and congestion or runny nose.

The experts caution that it will take many more weeks to collect enough data to be sure, but their observations and the early evidence offer some clues.

This evidence is murky because many documented cases have been among people who are vaccinated and people who have prior infection, which may dramatically reduce the risk of severe illness, according to the ABC News Medical Unit.

Also, mild cases in one country may not translate to the same in the U.S. The delta variant, for example, turned out to be much more deadly in America than in the U.K., the Medical Unit reported.

Symptoms will not be the same for everyone, and the only way to diagnose COVID-19 is through testing.

What can you do to protect yourself and others?

“The unvaccinated are really quite vulnerable to getting infected and getting into serious trouble,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told Eyewitness News anchor Liz Cho during a recent interview.

He added that boosting with the current vaccines is the best path to protect against severe disease.

Fauci said while there is always risk of breakthrough cases, those infections should not lead to severe illness.

1. If you are experiencing symptoms, get tested but also isolate yourself.

2. If you live in an area experiencing high rates of infection, consider staying home and reducing social contact.
3. Get fully vaccinated, including the booster.
4. Wear a mask in crowded places and indoors.
5. Improve your immune health with small changes to your diet.

Additional information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

How easily does Omicron spread?

The omicron variant likely will spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and how easily Omicron spreads compared to Delta remains unknown. CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.

Will omicron cause more severe illness?

More data are needed to know if omicron infections, and especially reinfections and breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated, cause more severe illness or death than infection with other variants.

Will vaccines work against omicron?

Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the omicron variant. However, breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated are likely to occur. With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. The recent emergence of omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters.

Will treatments work against omicron?

Scientists are working to determine how well existing treatments for COVID-19 work. Based on the changed genetic make-up of Omicron, some treatments are likely to remain effective while others may be less effective.

Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

For more information about COVID-19 and the variants, please visit the CDC’s website.

Information from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the ZOE COVID Study, ABC News and the Associated Press

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Business

Coronavirus Updates: Restrictions to be lifted on fully-vaccinated, non-American travelers Monday

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NEW YORK (WABC) — The U.S. is lifting restrictions on foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID, starting Monday.

The Biden administration is expecting long lines and delays at airports with travelers possibly pouring into the states.

When the announcement was made, online searches for international flights jumped 338%.

Delta Airlines saw bookings shoot up by 450%, and United Airlines says it will be bringing 30,000 travelers into the U.S. on Monday alone.

Here are more of today’s COVID-19 headlines:

Novavax says its vaccine could win over skeptics

The biotechnology company Novavax plans to submit complete data to the US Food and Drug Administration soon for possible emergency use authorization of its coronavirus vaccine, CEO Stanley Erck told CNN in a phone interview Friday. Novavax’s vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373, is made using somewhat more conventional methods than the vaccines already authorized for use in the US.

US cancels vaccine maker’s multimillion dollar deal
The federal government has canceled a multimillion dollar deal with Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland-based vaccine manufacturer with facilities in Baltimore that were found to have produced millions of contaminated Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses this spring, the Washington Post reported. Emergent disclosed the development Thursday in a conference call discussing its latest financial results, the Post reported. Emergent said it will forgo about $180 million due to the contract’s termination, according to the Post. Emergent BioSolutions played a role in the Trump administration’s effort to speed up vaccine development and distribution. But after winning a contract from the previous administration, Emergent quickly ran into production problems. In March, ingredients intended for use in producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shots contaminated 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The problems with the vaccines caused a monthslong delay in production. After that, the Biden administration put Johnson & Johnson in direct control of vaccine production there.

15 unions reach COVID vaccine mandate deal with NYC, talks continue with outliers
New York City employees who don’t want to get vaccinated have until Friday to file for a religious or medical exemption if they have any hope of staying on the payroll, this as the city announces more deals with unions representing municipal workers. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that 15 unions, including city’s largest, DC 37, have signed onto the deal. The unions represent more than 100,000 city workers covered by this most recent mandate that took effect last week, but the police and fire unions are not included and are still trying to hash out their own deals. Around 92% of city workers under the mandate are vaccinated, including 90% of EMS, 79% of firefighters, 85% of sanitation workers, and 85% of NYPD employees.

COVID vaccine refusal 10th highest reason for job cuts in 2021, report says
While experts say we’re still in the so-called “Great Resignation,” a recent Jobs Cut Report uncovered vaccine refusal as the 10th highest reason for job cuts this year. Numbers released by Chicago-based outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. came on on the same day President Biden announced new federal guidance and deadline for tens of millions of workers to get vaccinated.
“Roughly 5,000 people that lost their jobs in the last month due to COVID vaccine refusal made up actually 22% of the total number of people that we tracked being let go across the country,” the firm’s Senior VP Andy Challenger told our sister station KGO-TV.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill reduces risk of being hospitalized or dying by 89%, company says

A course of pills developed by Pfizer can slash the risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 by 89% if taken within three days of developing symptoms, according to results released Friday by the pharmaceutical company. In a study of more than 1,200 COVID-19 patients with a higher risk of developing serious illness, people who took Pfizer’s pills were far less likely to end up in the hospital compared to people who got placebo pills. None of the people who got the real pills died, but 10 people who got placebo pills died, according to results summarized in a Pfizer press release.
SantaCon returns
After taking a year off due to the pandemic, SantaCon is returning to New York City. The event requires a $13 donation for all-inclusive Santa Badge access to the official SantaCon venues. The location of a Yuletide kickoff party won’t be disclosed until closer to the December 11 SantaCon date.

Turkey Day troubles? Smaller birds, popular Thanksgiving sides could be harder to find in 2021
Consumers may have to trim their list of trimmings for their highly anticipated Thanksgiving meal this year. Top turkey seller Butterball said it doesn’t expect an overall gobbler shortage, but that those in search of a smaller size bird could have a hard time.
“Typically a 10- to 12-pound (turkey) up to 14 pounds is going to be more difficult,” Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain told “Good Morning America” on Friday. “Anything over 16 pounds, they’ll certainly be more readily available.”

Q&A: What to know about COVID-19 vaccines for kids aged 5-11
Vaccinations finally are available to U.S. children as young as 5, to the relief of some parents even as others have questions or fears. Late Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the final OK for youngsters age 5 to 11 to get kid-size doses of the vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech. Pediatricians and other doctors’ groups praised the move and are gearing up to help families decide whether to vaccinate their children. The shots could be available as soon as Wednesday and will be offered at pediatricians offices, clinics and pharmacies. Like COVID-19 vaccines for adults, they are free. Here’s everything you need to know.

Will the supply chain issues impact holiday shopping? Here’s what the experts say

With the holiday shopping suddenly upon us, it appears that getting that perfect gift or preparing that perfect meal will be far more challenging than in years past due to supply chain issues. Shoppers are noticing that it’s difficult to find a variety of items, and virtually everything from food to Christmas trees are more expensive. The price increase is being caused by gridlock at major seaports and a truck driver shortage across the country. Analysts say the forecast for the holiday season is not looking better.

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