New York State In-depth

New York monitors hospital capacity, stockpiles ventilators as ‘tripledemic’ threat from COVID, flu and RSV hits | Public Service News

ALBANY, NY — Gov. Kathy Hochul warned Wednesday that New Yorkers face a potential triple threat as rising COVID-19, flu and RSV cases strain hospital resources ahead of the holiday.

To alleviate potential overcrowding and staffing problems at hospitals, Hochul hinted that she could issue an executive order that would make it easier to hire doctors and nurses from abroad and move domestic workers to hard-hit medical facilities.

State officials will continue to monitor bed capacity and the need to move patients during the winter months.

The state has stockpiled ventilators and coronavirus testing kits to use when needed. While cases have been rising steadily, most health experts expect COVID cases to spike after holiday meetings.

At a press conference in Manhattan on Wednesday, the governor and health officials urged state residents to take precautions and make sure they’re up to date with immunizations as hospitals report “spikes and surges” from all three diseases.

“We will enjoy the holidays, but we will not let go of our vigilance,” Hochul said during the press conference.

Officials said early influenza cases have already reached extraordinarily high numbers compared to recent years. The state has seen a 75% increase in positive cases since flu season began about eight weeks ago.

“These numbers are rising far too early compared to historical trends. And we currently have 27,000 positive cases,” Hochul said. “I don’t see anything to tell us that this is going to abate any time soon.”

Cases of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common and highly contagious virus, have hit young children hard this year, leading to overcrowded emergency rooms and shortages of cold medicine in pharmacies.

Hospital leaders across the city told the Daily News they have seen a dramatic increase in the number of patients in pediatric emergency departments and are already facing staff shortages.

Outgoing state health commissioner Mary Bassett said there are “simple common sense things we can do” to curb the spread of the three diseases, including washing hands, coughing or sneezing and staying home when sick.

Additionally, Bassett encouraged more New Yorkers to get updated COVID vaccines, given that only 13% of the adult population has received the latest booster shot.

“The numbers are extremely worrying,” Bassett said of the rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations. “We can’t stress enough how important it is for people to get their recordings. We want people to be as protected as possible from illness and death.”

Though no mask mandates are currently on the table, Hochul encouraged New Yorkers to wear a face covering to protect others in crowded environments like stores or large gatherings.

The governor admitted that mask-wearing has become a politicized issue and “people are tired of being told what to do”.

“We cannot regulate people’s behavior,” she said. “People should feel free to wear masks. I want people to be aware of settings where wearing masks would make sense.”

Hochul said it could take time to find a replacement for Bassett, who is leaving her post at the end of the month to return to a previous Harvard gig, but expressed confidence in the state’s ability to cope with health crises.

“We will conduct an extensive search. These are big shoes to fill and we will make sure we find the best person to fill them in,” the governor said. “We have a lot of institutional knowledge … I’m confident that our team will get through the next few months.”

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