Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York ‘turning the corner’ on latest COVID surge

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York is “turning the corner” on the omicron-fueled winter surge as COVID cases, hospitalizations and the state’s overall positivity rate all fell for the first time in weeks, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.

The governor touted the precipitous decline of the state’s seven-day average of new cases, which peaked last week over 90,000 and fell to below 50,000, as she delivered the good news.

“Turning the corner, you heard it here first. I’ve been waiting to say it: turning a corner,” Hochul said during a briefing at at University of Albany’s RNA Institute. “Our highest point was a week ago. Highest to lowest in a week thus far and that lowest is going to continue to go down.”

Hospitalizations also fell for the second day in a row, dropping by 245 people to 12,207.

The state’s overall positivity rate plummeted to 16% on Friday, down significantly from the 23% recorded last week, according to State Health Department data.

Still, the state recorded another 177 deaths linked to the virus, a stark reminder that it’s “not time to spike the football,” Hochul said.

“There will come a time when we can say it’s all over,” she added. “We’re not there yet, but boy, it’s on the horizon and we’ve waited a long time for that.”

While New York City-area hospitals are seeing fewer coronavirus cases, some medical centers upstate are “not out of the woods yet,” Hochul said, particularly in areas with lower vaccination rates.

The highly transmissible omicron variant spread across New York and the rest of the nation over the holidays and led spikes in infections and hospitalizations not seen since the early days of the COVID pandemic in early 2020.

Health officials have said New York’s high vaccination rate has helped keep those who did get sick from needing to be treated in intensive care units and lessened the overall impact of the winter wave.

Unvaccinated New Yorkers are nearly eight times as likely as those fully vaccinated to be infected with COVID and almost 13 times as likely to be hospitalized, according to state data.

Still, Hochul encouraged New Yorkers to remain vigilant by getting vaccinated or scheduling booster shots and masking up when out in public.

She also said the state has secured an additional 64 million COVID tests that will be distributed to schools, nursing homes and other sites.

Asked if the state would extend the current mask or vax mandate, the governor said she would assess the situation as the Feb. 1 end draws closer.

“I don’t have the knowledge right now of what’s going to happen on February 1,” Hochul said. “we’re going to monitor the situation and make sure there’s not a trend that changes things quickly.”

Mayor Eric Adams, meanwhile, stood his ground on keeping schools open and city kids in classrooms despite student walkouts protesting COVID policies earlier in the week.

City schools have been plagued by high absenteeism rates over the past two weeks following the winter holiday break.

“Let’s be very clear on that, we are not closing our schools,” Adams said a day after he indicated he was open to a remote option. “This is not Chicago. We are now speaking with the (United Federation of Teachers) on different methods on how we can make sure our children are educated in a very safe environment.”

Chicago schools canceled classes for nearly a week after teachers demanded the district go remote to stem a surge in COVID cases.

Adams, who visited workers at the Steinway Piano Factory in Astoria, Queens on Friday morning, insisted that children had a higher chance of being exposed to the virus at home, 15%, compared to just 1% in schools.

“When I took office Jan.1, I was clear on my message: I’m not closing my schools. I’m not closing them because we get 3 to 6 inches of snow. I’m not closing them because of other issues,” the mayor said. “I’m going to keep my children safe and we’re going to find a way to do that and ensure our children are educated.”

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