Archive: NYS COVID-19 Resources & Information
2/19/21

In the rapidly changing dynamics of combating the Coronavirus, information is updated constantly. This archive is being provided as an additional resource for those seeking to learn more about how New York State is addressing COVID-19.

LATEST NEWS & INFORMATION - 2/19/21  

From Governor Cuomo’s Zoom briefing in Albany:

OVERVIEW

  • Day 356
  • 3.49% overall statewide positivity rate
  • 3.60% rate on 7-day average
  • 116 deaths
  • 6,155 hospitalizations, down 279
  • 1,199 ICU patients, down 59
  • 834 intubations, down 29

HOSPITALIZATIONS REGION

- Finger Lakes: 237 (0.02%)
- Western NY: 261 (0.02%)
- Southern Tier: 143 (0.02%)
- Mid Hudson: 644 (0.03%)
- Central NY: 106 (0.01%)
- Mohawk Valley: 115 (0.02%)
- NYC: 3,314 (0.04%)
- Long Island: 1,049 (0.04%)
- Capital Region: 206 (0.02%)
- North Country: 80 (0.02%)

POSITIVITY BY REGION

- Finger Lakes: 2.33%
- Western NY 3.01%
- Southern Tier: 0.78%
- Mid Hudson: 4.43%
- Central NY: 1.41%
- Mohawk Valley: 2.11%
- NYC: 4.40%
- Long Island: 4.36%
- Capital Region: 2.09%
- North Country: 3.91%
- Manhattan: 3.01%
- Staten Island: 4.57%
- Brooklyn: 4.57%
- Queens: 4.96
- Bronx: 6.20%

REOPENING

  • NYC Restaurants can increase to 35% capacity next Friday, which aligns with New Jersey.
  • Cuomo stressed that schools must be opened, but repeated it is a local decision.
  • Cuomo called on local governments to take more aggressive measures to allow in-person classes.

VACCINATIONS

  • 12.1% of residents have received their first dose.
  • 3.5 million total vaccines have been administered so far.
  • 73% of nursing home residents have been vaccinated, all have been offered the vaccine.
  • Mass vaccination sites will open in Queens and Brooklyn to target "socially vulnerable" communities.
  • Sites will have capacity of 3,000 vaccines per day. 
  • Scheduling opens tomorrow, 2/20, at 8:00 a.m.
  • Only residents of those communities can schedule for first week, then residents of that borough can sign up.
  • On March 3, four new FEMA sites will open in Buffalo Rochester, Albany, and Yonkers.
  • Scheduling to begin for those sites Wed., 2/24, at 8:00am; only residents for the first week will be allowed.
  • FDA has allocated 4,610 doses of therapy drug Bamlamivimab to treat high-risk COVID patients.

RAPID TESTING

  • DOH will be issuing guidance on allowing visitation in nursing homes, which will be in accordance with CMS and the CDC guidance.
  • DOH will recommend rapid tests prior to visitors being allowed in, DOH will provide testing to facilities.
  • 11 rapid testing sites will be opening in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx today.
  • Cost for rapid tests will be $30, tests will be completed within 30 minutes.
  • Testing will assist in reopening businesses, allowing colleges to resume in-person.
  • Colleges can test 25% of on-campus population, and cannot exceed 5% positivity over 14 days.
  • If colleges do not test 25% of population, then once 100 individuals test positive, in-person classes pause.

NURSING HOMES

  • Cuomo stated he is countering false statements to ensure families are getting accurate information.
  • Cuomo stated that the information the state reported on all fatalities is accurate.
  • Gov. said the legislature's request was paused to prioritize DOJ, and notified the legislature.
  • We need to learn from COVID, strengthen hospitals and reform nursing homes.
  • On nursing homes, more staff, more PPE, "surge staff" availability, isolation areas, regulation on funding, and communication with families is needed.

Comments from Dr. Zucker

  • On the March 25th directive, Zucker stated based on facts available at that time, this was the "correct decision."
  • Zucker discussed threat to hospital system capacity last Spring.
  • Zucker reminded that projection models indicated even more deaths if ICU beds were not available.
  • Zucker explained that transferring nursing home residents back to their facilities was in their best interest.
  • He asserted that CMS and CDC advised this as well, with 12 other states doing the same.
  • Zucker said the guidance indicates that if a facility could not care for a COVID patient, the facility did not need to accept the patient.
  • Zucker stated that COVID is still getting into nursing homes, despite no visitation and testing staff.

FROM THE Q&A

On nursing home information "void", and how this explains the lack of information to the legislature:

  • Garvey said Zucker testified on August 12 at a public hearing, and the request was a follow up from that hearing.
  • Delays were due to managing the pandemic, and was "agreed to" with the legislature.

On vaccinations in NYC, and whether the state is holding up doses, as de Blasio has reportedly suggested:

  • Gov. said the federal government sends the doses directly to the city.
  • There are weather-related delays, but any other delays are due to the federal government.

On what the Gov. would say to those questioning his credibility:

  • The state's success in responding to the pandemic should be taken into account.
  • It should not be an issue of credibility, as DOH notified the legislature the information would not be provided, and pointed to the fact that the legislature chose to not subpoena the information.

On vaccine delays, and whether this impacts the state-run sites:

  • It may affect those sites, the state is looking into it.
  • The White House indicated delays should be expected.
  • No appointments have been impacted as of yet, but residents will be notified if they are.
  • Rhodes added many sites are still utilizing their existing allocations.