An “abnormally high simultaneous mutation” of New York City virus cases, including flu and mixture of Covid-19 variantsprompted health officials on Friday to strongly recommend that people wear high-quality masks indoors and in crowded places outdoors.
city Health Commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, advises New Yorkers to wear masks at all times in public places — including in stores, offices, elevators and schools, and on public transport — even if vaccinated against Covid-19 or the flu.
However, mask wearing will remain voluntary in most places, except in healthcare settings such as nursing homes where mask wearing regulations are still in place.
The advice comes as the rate of new Covid cases in the city has increased by about 55% in the past two weeks, according to data compiled by New York Times, while hospitalization rates have increased by 20 percent during that time. The city registered a seven-day average of 3,761 new cases on Thursday, up from 2,425 two weeks earlier.
The number of flu cases is also increase, increase 64 percent for the week ending December 3. Cases of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, spiked earlier this fall and pose a particular risk to both young children and the elderly. , seems to have settled down in New York stateaccording to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Covid landscape has changed dramatically from this time last year, when people canceled holiday plans and officials took steps to intervene when The Omicron variant tore the city apart. This year, many people in New York and elsewhere responded with lethargic and tiredinstead of being afraid of warnings about a new wave of disease.
The vast majority of New Yorkers have been vaccinated and 40 percent have been given a booster shot, according to city data. And many people have been infected: More than three million cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the city since the beginning of the pandemic.
In late November, federal officials expressed optimism that the country is better prepared to weather the increase in cases during the winter.
At the time, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, said vaccination rates and infections had created “enough protection for the community that we won’t see it.” repeats what we saw last year at this point.”
In New York, in a sign that the city is retreating from large-scale responses to the virus, a mass testing lab in Manhattan’s East Side — a central part of the response with the city’s pandemic of the past three years — set to closed at the end of the year.
The health department said it will continue to establish expanded vaccination sites across the city.
