All SUNY and CUNY students eligible for a booster vaccination must have a vaccination by Jan. 15, and faculty must provide proof of vaccination, Governor Kathy Hochul said Friday, as the state set another daily record for new ones Set up COVID-19 cases.
SUNY and CUNY students must already be vaccinated, but the Omicron variant is much better at bypassing vaccines than previous variants, although the vaccines are still highly effective at preventing serious diseases. Boosters significantly reduce the risk of infection and disease.
Hochul also announced during her COVID-19 briefing from Albany that she would be extending a nationwide mandate from January 15 to February 1 for companies to require either masking or proof of vaccination in public indoor spaces.
In addition to SUNY and CUNY, a growing number of universities across the country, including Columbia University and New York University in Manhattan, are introducing booster requirements. Entitlement to a booster vaccination begins six months after receiving the second Moderna or Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson injection.
In addition to the boosters, students must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test upon return to campus, Hochul said.
When asked when faculty should be vaccinated, SUNY spokeswoman Holly Liapis said in an email that the system is working with the governor’s office and unions to implement the new mandate.
Caren Gough, senior lecturer in the science education program at Stony Brook University, said, “I totally agree. The more people vaccinated, the better we get.”
Sign up for coronavirus updates
Get the latest news on Long Island reopening due to COVID-19 restrictions, updated safety guidelines, and vaccination rates.
By clicking Sign In, you agree to our privacy policy.
Gough, who said she was fully vaccinated and boosted, added, “There are a lot of unknowns but I think we have to stick to what science tells us.”
Hochul’s university announcement was made as a COVID-19 case and the number of hospital admissions continued to rise. Long Island’s one-day positivity rate rose to over 27%.
In the past seven days, the number of COVID-19 patients in Long Island hospitals rose from 793 on December 24 to 1,374 on Thursday, according to state data. There were 1,230 patients with COVID-19 in Long Island hospitals as of Wednesday.
Nationwide, the increase in the same period was 61.9% – to 7,919 on Thursday, from 4,891 on December 24th.
Unvaccinated people are still much more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people, Hochul said. Latest government data: The hospitalization rate for unvaccinated people is 30 per 100,000 people; for vaccinated people it is 2.1 per 100,000.
“It’s an extraordinary difference,” said the governor.
Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 among children continued to rise. There have been 299 pediatric admissions so far for the week beginning Sunday, up from 70 in the week of December 5-11, she said.
On Long Island, 27.1% of the 51,281 COVID-19 test results on Thursday were positive: 6,861 in Nassau and 5,772 in Suffolk. The 7-day positivity rate increased from 17.32% on Tuesday to 20.75%.
State Thursday set another new daily record for confirmed COVID-19 cases: 76,555. Experts believe the case numbers were likely higher at the start of the pandemic, when tests were scarce.
Hochul said part of the state’s high numbers is because “we’re testing more”.
She pointed out that New York had the third highest testing rate per capita, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center: 1,527.9 daily tests per 100,000 people on Friday.
Eighty New Yorkers died of COVID-19 on Thursday, including seven in Nassau and three in Suffolk.
Hochul said Friday that in order to protect nursing home residents, she asked Jeffrey Zients, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, in a phone call on Thursday to allow New York to require nursing home visitors to be vaccinated. Hochul said she did not have the power to do this alone.
In the meantime, she only urged vaccinated people to go to nursing homes.
“Visit your loved one, but also don’t be the reason a loved one doesn’t survive because you brought the virus to the nursing home for them and their neighbors,” she said.
Meanwhile, Hochul’s mask mandate has had limited impact on Long Island. New entrant Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he will not enforce it, and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone reiterated Thursday that the county will not fines companies for breach of mandate and will instead focus on outreach and education.
With Craig Schneider
What you should know
All SUNY and CUNY students who are eligible for vaccination Booster shots must be received by Jan.15 and they must test negative for COVID-19 before returning to campus, Governor Kathy Hochul said.
Also, the faculty must be vaccinated, the governor said. Details of this plan are currently being worked out by SUNY, Hochul’s office and unions, said a SUNY spokeswoman.
The number of COVID-19 hospital admissions and cases on Long Island continued to rise. Hospital stays increased 73% over seven days. The 7-day positivity rate reached 20.75%.
David Olson covers healthcare. He has been with Newsday since 2015 and previously reported on immigration, multicultural issues and religion for The Press-Enterprise in Southern California.
Comments are closed.