Nicole Epstein, with Gotham Public Relations, sends in a quick recap of Governor Cuomo's COVID-19 briefings. Here are her notes from Governor Cuomo’s conference call:

COVID:

  • Day 342
  • Statewide Positivity rate 4.31%
  • 203,627 Test results reported
  • 153 deaths
  • 7,937 Hospitalizations, down 30
  • 1,516 ICU patients, up 10
  • 1,000 Intubations, up 14
  • Lowest daily positivity rate since Nov. 28th
  • Lowest daily hospitalization rate since Jan 1st

Hospitalizations by Region:

  • Capital Region: 374 (0.03%)
  • Central New York: 182 (0.02%)
  • Finger Lakes: 483 (0.04%)
  • Long Island: 1,382 (0.05%)
  • Mid-Hudson: 919 (0.04%)
  • Mohawk Valley: 199 (0.04%)
  • North Country: 91(0.02%)
  • NYC: 3,598 (0.04%)
  • Southern Tier: 232 (0.04%)
  • Western NY: 377 (0.03%)

Positivity by Region:

  • Bronx: 6.67%
  • Brooklyn 5.37%
  • Capital Region: 3.92%
  • Central New York: 2.82%
  • Finger Lakes: 3.30%
  • Long Island: 5.56%
  • Manhattan: 3.36%
  • Mid-Hudson: 5.54%
  • Mohawk Valley: 3.63%
  • North Country: 5.36%
  • NYC: 5.08%
  • Queens: 5.15%
  • Southern Tier: 1.68%
  • Staten Island: %
  • Western NY: 4.69%

  • Governor said NYS needs support from the federal government in order to rebuild and recover economically
  • New police reform plan for localities due April 1st
  • Governor said to celebrate smart for Super Bowl weekend
  • Governor welcomed New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to the briefing and both commended the partnership between NY and NJ
  • Governor Murphy echoed Governor Cuomo's call for state and local aid from the federal government

COVID Vaccine:

  • 2,237,678 total doses administered
  • 99.02% of allocated first doses administered
  • Vaccine supply is now week-to-week
  • Governor said Vaccine hesitancy is a major obstacle stemming from concern about side effects and distrust of the healthcare system
  • 39% of New Yorkers are hesitant to take the vaccine
  • Governor described differentials by race in acceptance of vaccine within eligible groups
  • Governor said two challenges in reaching the Black community include access and acceptance
  • NYS is making efforts to add mass vaccination sites in high positivity areas in Black and Latino communities and committing to more outreach
  • Yankee Stadium vaccine site opening today for Bronx residents
  • Governor thanked representatives of the Yankees for their support in developing the site
  • Governor said hospital workers are being prioritized
  • 75% of hospital workers vaccinated but there are still uneven levels of vaccinations among hospitals
  • Governor said hospitals have one more week to vaccinate their last workers
  • Governor said the state is reallocating the majority of the 1a subgroup allocation to local health departments to vaccinate people with comorbidities beginning February 15th.
  • NYS is working with the CDC to establish a comorbidities list for eligibility
  • Governor said FDA and CDC recommends not to use second dose allocations as first doses
  • Johnson and Johnson filed for emergency use authorization

COVID- Variants:

  • 15 new variants of interest in NYS
  • 59 total UK strain cases in NYS
  • UK strain is up to 70% more transmittable

UK Strain Cases by County:

  • Allegany County: 1 Case
  • Essex County: 1 Case
  • Jefferson County: 1 Case
  • Nassau County: 8 Cases
  • Niagara County: 1 Case
  • NYC: 18 Cases
  • Onondaga County: 1 Case
  • Saratoga County: 7 Cases
  • Suffolk: 6 Cases
  • Tompkins County: 4 Cases
  • Ulster County: 1 Case
  • Warren County: 6 Cases
  • Westchester: 4 Cases

Federal:

  • President Biden hoping to provide $350 billion for state and local relief
  • Governor said $350 billion needs to be distributed fairly
  • Governor said NYS needs fairness in federal tax policy and the repeal of SALT
  • Governor said that SALT costs taxpayers $34 million a day
  • Governor Murphy echoed call for the repeal of SALT, citing high and unfair costs for taxpayers
  • Governor sent a letter to the Congressional delegation about the distribution of $350 million

Q&A

On whether the governor would consider opening inside dining the weekend before Valentine's Day? And whether the 10PM curfew on restaurants/bars can be extended on Super Bowl Sunday?
  • Governor said the state is following the data so wants to see what the numbers look like on Monday before making a decision
  • Governor said curfew is in place to prevent extensive gatherings, and they are not considering extending the curfew

On what the list of pre-existing conditions will include and why prisons are not considered congregate settings?
  • Governor said NYS is going to follow the CDC list of preexisting conditions for the next group of eligibility for vaccines
  • NYS is vaccinating people in prisons in the same method that the rest of NYS is being vaccinated

On New Jersey's lawsuit about congestion pricing
  • Governor said staff has been working with Governor Murphy's staff on this issue.
  • Governor said there is no path forward out of the pandemic without supporting the economy

On how the state will ensure police reform plans are implemented
  • Governor said the state has no hand in telling localities how to form their plans
  • Whatever the locality decides, it will be up to them to follow through with the plan

On stopping a NYS resident who teaches in NJ from receiving a vaccine
  • Governor said he had not heard of this specific situation but she should be able to receive a vaccine in NYS and they will look into this situation