Brooklyn
As of Monday, January 3, the 7-day positivity rate for COVID-19 is 20.6% in Brooklyn, up from 11.5% one week ago, as the city continues to deal with a surge in cases with the new Omicron variant.
Some neighborhoods in the borough are returning positive COVID-19 tests at rates far above the average, including Brownsville’s 11212 ZIP code where the 7-day positivity rate is a whooping 42.33%, up from 15.28% one week ago.
There have been 468,024 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brooklyn and more than 11,000 deaths, according to The City's COVID-19 tracker.
Despite the record COVID-19 numbers, students in Brooklyn and across the city returned to school Monday, as newly sworn-in Mayor Eric Adams insisted parents "fear no" about their children's safety.
Adams said the city's enhanced testing program for schools, which includes at-home tests to limit quarantines and doubles the number of students and staff randomly tested each week, will keep students, staff and families, while also putting an end to disruptions in the classrooms.
As of Dec. 30, the Department of Education reported that there were 3,334 active COVID-19 cases under investigation in the school district, 60% of which involve students. Eight of the 1,700 schools were closed, forty-one classrooms were closed and more than 2,900 were under a partial quarantine, the DOE reported.
A number of the borough’s hospitals are reaching capacity in their ICU wards as caseloads rise. Woodhull is reporting 95% capacity, down from 103% seven days ago; Interfaith Medical Center is at 97%, the same as last Monday; NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist is at 92% up from 89%, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center is at 88% down from 92% and Kings County Hospital Center is at 81% down from 83%, according to The New York Times.
As of Jan. 3, 66% of eligible Brooklyn residents are fully vaccinated. To find a vaccination site near you, click here.
NYC
On Jan. 2 there were 36,856 new COVID-19 cases reported in NYC, up from 19,268 new cases just seven days earlier — a 517% increase over the past two weeks, The New York Times reports. December saw the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in New York City since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, the New York City public school system reopened despite the surge in COVID-19 cases and the "striking increase" in in pediatric COVID-19 admissions.
In a statement on Christmas Eve, Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett said: "We are alerting New Yorkers to this recent striking increase in pediatric COVID-19 admissions so that pediatricians, parents and guardians can take urgent action to protect our youngest New Yorkers."
Between Dec. 5 and Christmas Eve, there was a four-fold increase in admissions for kids aged 18 and under, around half of whom were under 5, according to NBC New York.
However, Mayor Eric Adams insisted Monday morning that schools were the amongst the safest places for students to be.
The City is struggling to keep up with the demand for COVID-19 testing, but has promised increased capacity at current City-run sites, the establishment of new sites and through increased availability of at-home rapid result tests. To find a testing site near you, click here.
New York State
As of Jan. 3, the daily positivity average for New York State was 20.9%, up from 14.17% seven days earlier, according to state data. 8,773 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Jan. 2, up from 4,891 a week earlier.
Governor Kathy Hochul said with New Yorkers returning to schools and workplaces at the start of 2022, they needed take every possible precaution to stop the spread of COVID-19.
"We all know the tools that keep us safe: vaccines, boosters, masks and tests. Let's all do our part and take these common-sense precautions, so New York can defeat the winter surge and come back stronger than before."
According to the CDC as of Jan. 2, 71.8% of eligible New Yorkers are fully vaccinated. The state has partnered with local health departments and community partners to launch over 40 new pop-up vaccination sites across the state. Learn more and find a pop-up site.
Now through January 15, businesses must require either proof of vaccination or mask-wearing indoors for everyone on their premises due to a statewide mandate. Find answers to frequently asked questions about the temporary requirement.
Hochul said for those wondering how long to wait to get a COVID-19 vaccine after having the virus, the CDC advised that those who had recovered from their illness, met the criteria for discontinuing isolation and were without symptoms could be vaccinated.
