NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Sunday marked one other one-day file for COVID-19 circumstances in New York state.
Of the 267,422 checks administered, 22,478 — or 8.4% — got here again constructive. Of these, greater than 5,700 have been recorded in New York Metropolis.
READ MORE: Omicron Detected In 89 Countries, Cases Doubling Fast, Says World Health Organization
Mayor Bill de Blasio is warning a swift wave of Omicron variant circumstances is taking maintain within the Large Apple.
Officers are actually ramping up efforts to cope with the surge, CBS2’s Kiran Dhillon reported.
Watch: Mayor Invoice De Blasio’s Sunday COVID-19 Press Briefing
COVID-19 testing websites have been going through an inflow of individuals over the previous few days. From Williamsburg, Brooklyn to Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan, Sunday marked one other day of at-home speedy checks offered out at drug shops, and lengthy strains — some for blocks — at testing tents and brick and mortar areas.
“I had a buddy who waited for 2 hours in the present day on the East Aspect and earlier than they received to his place, they stopped the road,” Manhattan resident Josh Ellis informed CBS2’s Lisa Rozner.
“I needed to guide an appointment for the subsequent day,” added resident Siddharth Konde.
Nonetheless, the mayor mentioned town has a plan to alleviate stress on the system.
“That is an pressing state of affairs and we have to act urgently. We’re seeing a really substantial rise within the variety of circumstances in a manner we haven’t seen beforehand,” de Blasio mentioned.
FIND TESTING SITES: Click here for New York City’s testing site locator, together with cell websites and at-home appointments
AVOID THE LINES: Click here for NYC Health+Hospitals testing wait times
COVID VACCINE
The mayor mentioned Omicron is hitting our metropolis like a fast-moving storm and is definite to make the subsequent few weeks extraordinarily difficult.
“We anticipate these subsequent weeks to see a really, very huge surge within the variety of circumstances. Greater than we’ve seen beforehand. After which we anticipate, after a time frame, that it’ll dissipate,” de Blasio mentioned.
“The non-public choices we make over the subsequent two weeks might decide the success of our metropolis over the subsequent two years,” Mayor-elect Eric Adams added.
Adams was requested on CNN if he’ll mandate booster photographs after taking workplace on Jan. 1.
READ MORE: Expert Tips For Safe Holidays Gatherings Amid Latest COVID Surge
“I imagine we might get to that time. I can not proceed to emphasise that this can be a shifting goal and we shouldn’t be so stringent and unwilling to pivot when is critical,” Adams mentioned.
On Sunday, de Blasio teamed up with Adams to current a united entrance. To cope with the inflow of circumstances and a backlog in testing, town mentioned it’s rising testing capability.
“We’re opening new websites in each single borough. We’re including 17 cell models this week. We’re increasing hours. We’ve our wait time tracker. We’re handing out residence check kits and dealing with community-based organizations,” mentioned Dr. Ted Lengthy, director of town’s Take a look at & Hint Corps.
Well being officers added town can be upping its vaccination efforts, by means of a $10 million paid media marketing campaign, in addition to focusing on long-term care properties. The aim is to remind those who the shot continues to be the very best protection towards COVID.
“It will probably shield you from extreme illness. Our stage of vaccination constructed up our seawall forward of this Omicron wave. Boosters shore up that safety,” metropolis Well being Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi mentioned.
Manhattan has the very best COVID charge among the many 5 boroughs, however officers mentioned it’s partly due to elevated testing there. Councilman Mark Levine, the chair of the Well being Committee, tweeted, “Be particularly cautious about indoor gatherings the place masks come off.”
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Forward of households gathering for the vacations, demand for Meals and Drug Administration-approved COVID checks is being seen on-line, too.
Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, the Connecticut-based founding father of the check Detect, mentioned day by day by midday his firm’s check, which delivers ends in half-hour, is promoting out. However he mentioned the corporate is rising manufacturing.
“We’re promoting out quick now, due to demand is past anyone’s expectations. However our check is probably the most scalable, which implies day by day we log on, we’ll have extra checks to fulfill demand,” Rothberg mentioned.
Well being officers mentioned if you’re attempting to get a check outcomes shortly, they advocate you attempt a city-run facility over a personal location.
Proper now, metropolis websites are averaging a 24-hour turnaround.
Officers are reminding symptomatic New Yorkers which you could go to one of many metropolis’s free isolation resorts by calling 311 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
And whereas the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square is still on, the mayor mentioned that he and his crew are reassessing the state of affairs.
“So we’ve been in contact with Time Sq. Alliance. We’re going to decide earlier than Christmas. We’re actually wanting on the new problem we’re going through. However, once more, that is an all-vaccination occasion, and it’s outdoor and people are two very, crucial, favorable elements,” de Blasio mentioned.
MORE NEWS: New York City Residents Reporting Long Lines At COVID Testing Sites; Check The Wait
CBS2’s Kiran Dhillon and Lisa Rozner contributed to this report.
