COVID cases are on the rise again in New York City as the BA.2 variant grows more prevalent, though the numbers are still a tiny fraction of the peaks seen earlier this year.
As of Monday morning, the city’s latest data had the rolling seven-day average of new cases at 610, up nearly 10% in a week.
Transmission rates are on the rise as well. In Manhattan, the rate of new cases per 100,000 people is up almost 10% in the last month and up about 17% in just the last week. One out of every 1,000 Manhattan residents has been infected in the last seven days.
All New Yorkers 16 years of age and older are now eligible to be vaccinated! People who work or study in New York are also eligible. (Note, people who are 16 or 17 years old can only receive the Pfizer vaccine.)
Three COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Pfizer-BioNTech (Pfizer), Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). These vaccines have been shown to be very safe and effective in protecting people from severe COVID-19 illness, hospitalization and death. As of March 1, tens of millions of doses of vaccine have been administered in the U.S.
These vaccines are the best protection we have against COVID-19. No matter how old you are, COVID-19 can lead to complications and death. Even if you had COVID-19, it is important to get vaccinated because it lowers your risk of getting COVID-19 again and may prevent you from passing it on to others.
Also, getting vaccinated may protect those around you, particularly people who cannot get the vaccine, such as children. Vaccination, along with other prevention measures, can help us end the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Here are some ways to find a vaccination appointment:
