The number of new cases of COVID-19 is continuing to skyrocket in New York, with hospitals beginning to severely limit and in some cases entirely prohibit visits to patients in hopes of preventing further infection.
To address the and to protect our patients, visitors and staff, visitation at Coney Island Hospital is temporarily suspended, with some exceptions. For outpatient clinics, one person may accompany each patient to an appointment. Read more. pic.twitter.com/aifsI307eD
— NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island (@ConeyIslandHosp)
Outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that 21,846 new cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed over the past 24 hours.
The figure included 396 new hospitalizations due to the virus.
City health officials say pediatric hospitalizations rose nearly five-fold since the start of this month. According to CBS News, “nearly all of those children were unvaccinated.”
Since de Blasio’s announcement last Tuesday of a $100 incentive for those who get a booster shot at city-run facilities, 180,000 booster doses have been administered to New Yorkers. The offer is valid until Friday, December 31.
Statewide, the figures are equally impressive: Governor Kathy Hochul reported a new single-day high of 67,000 cases on Wednesday out of 362,000 tests conducted, a 64 percent increase in just the last day and a rise to an 18.5 percent positivity rate for the state.
Last Friday Hochul announced a reduction in the quarantine time for critical workers, shortening the period to five days, in hopes of reducing the staff shortages around the state resulting from the combined quarantines of workers getting sick and those exposed to them.
CDC has shortened the recommended time for isolation and quarantine. Learn more about what to do if you test positive or have close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19: https://t.co/ScxsyrZI16.
— CDC (@CDCgov)
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) likewise recommended shortening the quarantine time for the virus to just five days.
. recently updated its recommended isolation and guidelines. Find out the latest: https://t.co/1WS6Z0mWLF. pic.twitter.com/mPovUN7IRh
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov)