Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday introduced that New Yorkers ages 50 or older who obtained their booster photographs no less than 4 months in the past, or adults who obtained the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, at the moment are eligible for a second booster dose. New Yorkers who’re no less than 12 years outdated and are reasonably to severely immunocompromised are additionally eligible.
“Getting vaccinated and staying up-to-date with all recommended doses is the most effective way to prevent severe illness and hospitalization, and move safely forward through this pandemic,” Ms. Hochul mentioned.
New Yorkers can schedule an appointment for a free booster shot at certainly one of greater than a dozen state-run mass vaccination websites, together with Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn; the Queensbury Aviation Mall-Sears in Queensbury; State Fair Art and Home Center in Syracuse; and the University at Buffalo South Campus at Harriman Hall in Buffalo.
Booster photographs are a dose of an mRNA vaccine — both the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna.
At a information convention on Friday at City Hall, the New York City well being commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, additionally inspired metropolis residents to get booster photographs and to put on masks in public indoor settings, mentioning that he was sporting a masks on the information convention. Residents can discover a location to get a free shot and make a vaccination appointment on the New York City Department of Health’s web site.
The governor’s announcement comes as well being officers estimate that BA.2 — probably the most transmissible model of the COVID-19 coronavirus but recognized — accounts for greater than half of latest virus instances within the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentioned this week. The Omicron subvariant accounts for about 70 % of instances within the area that features New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico.
Although BA.2 is extra transmissible than BA.1, it has not proven to trigger extra extreme sickness.
Health specialists fear that BA.2, which has fueled case surges in Europe and Asia, might result in one other wave of the pandemic in New York, and presumably the nation. They consider that the true variety of instances in New York may be greater than the information suggests, as a result of many individuals are testing at residence, with no official reporting of outcomes.
That has well being officers urging New Yorkers to stay vigilant.
“As we have seen with the recent increase of the Omicron subvariant BA.2, Covid is still with us,” Dr. Mary T. Bassett, the state well being commissioner, mentioned within the assertion on Saturday. “These safe and effective vaccines remain free, including the second booster.”