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COVID-19 Digest: October 19

COVID-19 Digest: October 19

October 19, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Monday, October 19, 2020As NYC’s reopening and recovery efforts continue, the digest will focus on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.

Download COVID Alert NY, the new exposure notification app built by the New York State Dept. of Health and Tech:NYC, here.

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The Latest in New York

The latest: New York hotspots mostly cooling off as many states see second wave surges and the global case count hits 40 million; Gov. Cuomo establishes vaccine matrix in newly released distribution plan; cinemas outside the city can reopen later this week at limited capacity; NYC’s plastic bag ban officially takes effect today, after a long delay due to COVID, so don’t forget your totes! Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 485,279 (+998)
New York City: 254,771 (+419)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,659 (+14)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.3 percent (+0.2 percent)

General Updates:

The positivity rate in New York’s “red zones” continues to decline, with the latest numbers coming in at 3.3 percent. (NYS) The statewide rate remains around one percent, but cases are rising in Westchester County, recently surpassing 1,000 active cases. (Journal News) Shutdowns are likely to continue this week and potentially longer in certain Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods, per Mayor de Blasio. (POLITICO)
Over the weekend, Gov. Cuomo released an initial plan for vaccine distribution when one becomes available. (NBC New York) More on that below.
Global coronavirus cases reached 40 million, with 41 states and many international countries reporting caseloads indicative of a second — and in some cases third — wave. (CNBC) A possible culprit behind these increases? Some say “pandemic fatigue.” (New York Times)
Many of the nation’s 13,000 school districts are approaching the one month mark of being reopened and are struggling to find workable policies in the absence of clear standards from federal and state governments. (New York Times) In contrast, NYC, despite being the largest district to reopen, has seen a surprisingly small number of positive cases: a mere 18 out of more than 10,000 random tests. (New York Times)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the White House needed to make a deal on federal coronavirus aid in the next 48 hours for the package to pass Congress before Election Day. (POLITICO)
We’re in the final 15 days until Election Day. Some deadlines to remember: early voting opens up Oct. 24 and you must request an absentee ballot by Oct. 27.

One good read: As new cases surge again, here’s an new look inside at the White House’s coronavirus task force (Washington Post)

Survey

The latest results: CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield says the US is seeing more cases arising from small household get-togethers. (CNN) That could throw a wrench in upcoming holiday plans, and Dr. Fauci has already said Americans may need to cancel Thanksgiving. (Washington Post) What are your plans for celebrating the holiday?

6.1%: I’m planning to travel by plane
10.9%: I’m planning to travel regionally
29.3%: I’m planning to celebrate the holiday with others, but just those in my pod
42.2%: I’m planning to celebrate the holiday just with those in my household
11.6%: I’m not planning to celebrate the holiday

Today’s poll: This week, New York will move into its eight month since the state’s PAUSE order went into effect, and people are increasingly weary, frustrated, and downright fed-up with the new COVID social norms. The result: greater burnout and “pandemic fatigue,” which may in part be causing rising cases around the country. Have you experienced pandemic fatigue and a loosening of your COVID safety behaviors in recent months?

*|SURVEY: Yes, I am wearing a mask less often|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, I am sanitizing/washing hands less often|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, I am social distancing less often|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, more than one of the above|*
*|SURVEY: No, I have not experienced “pandemic fatigue”|*

Find the poll results from all previous editions of this newsletter here.

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

New York State is preparing for a seasonal surge by implementing a “micro-cluster strategy” to guide future lockdowns at more local levels. (CBS New York) Gov. Cuomo said testing data now allows the state to analyze virus spread at a block-by-block level, and moving forward, hotspot zones and lockdown measures will be identified at neighborhood levels, as opposed to regional or statewide levels.
Gov. Cuomo released a draft of a large-scale vaccination plan for the state for when a vaccine becomes available. (New York Post) The plan creates a (rather complicated, if you ask us) matrix prioritizing distribution based on tiers of geographic risk and population type.
- For example, essential healthcare workers in hotspot zones will be the first to receive the vaccine. Everyone else in hotspot zones and then essential workers outside the zones would follow, with everyone else coming last.
- The plan is designed to be very flexible at this stage, given several unknowns: it’s still impossible to know which vaccine will be approved, when it will be ready for distribution, or how many doses New York will be able to get.
- Even when those details are more set, Gov. Cuomo said the state will convene its own independent panel to approve the federal plan before it gives the green light to begin vaccine distribution. (New York Post)
- The full draft of the plan is available here.
A couple reopening dates were announced:
- Movie theaters in New York State will be allowed to reopen Oct. 23, but not in NYC. (CBS News) Eligible theaters may open at 25 percent capacity, but only in areas that have a 14-day rolling average below two percent and have no active cluster zones.
- Ski resorts in the state will be allowed to reopen on Nov. 6. (Democrat & Chronicle) They will be required to enforce maximum 50 percent indoor capacity and lifts are restricted to members of the same party.
New York’s plastic bag ban goes into effect today after being paused due to the pandemic. (NY1) Beginning today, customers must either bring reusable bags or buy brown paper bags for five cents each. Retailers who don’t comply can be fined.