Jan 26, 2021
- To ultimately be successful in winning this war against COVID we need greater supply of the vaccine and we need all New Yorkers to continue practicing COVID safe behavior. Earlier this evening, President Biden announced allocations to states will go up 16 percent and that we can count on that allocation for the next three weeks. So far, we've been going week to week and now with advance notice we can plan better and that is good news. New York stands ready to administer more vaccinations the moment we receive more supply. However, even with this increased allocation, supply is likely to continue to be extremely limited in the near term.
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. Total hospitalizations rose to 8,831. Of the 162,938 tests reported yesterday, 11,064, or 6.79 percent were positive. There were 1,544 patients in ICU yesterday, up 22 from the previous day. Of them, 1,006 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 162 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. The Biden administration also announced that it would "soon be able to confirm" the purchase of an additional 200 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. These additional doses, if secured by the federal government, would not arrive until the summer and will not solve the immediate supply crunch. We are in communication with the Biden team about this and other supply issues.
3. As of 11:00am today, New York's health care distribution sites have administered 93 percent of first dose vaccinations. We administered 1,210,339 first doses out of a total allocation of 1,304,050 first doses (this data excludes the federally run Long Term Care Facility program). These sites have administered 74 percent of first and second doses. New Yorkers can track the State's vaccination progress through the NYS Vaccine Dashboard.
4. The application deadline for COVID Rent Relief is February 1, 2021. Last month, I signed an Executive Order expanding eligibility for New York State's COVID Rent Relief Program so more rent relief can be provided to New Yorkers. Learn more about the program.
5. Remember, mental health resources are available for New Yorkers who need them. As we continue through the winter we can't underestimate the mental and emotional strain of the pandemic. New Yorkers can visit headspace.com/ny for free mindfulness resources or call our support hotline at 1-844-863-9314.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": Inspired by a woman in Michigan, Mary Kate Tischler and her 6-year-old daughter of Seaford, NY, set up a "Sharing Table" to help give back to their community. The two collected non-perishable goods from their home and set up a table outside their home with a sign to share that anyone passing by could take what they needed—or drop off their own pantry items. This community-minded spirit is what New York is all about.
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