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Tech:NYC Digest: April 14

Tech:NYC Digest: April 14

April 14, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Wednesday, April 14, 2021As the vaccination rollout progresses and NYC continues to respond to the pandemic, this digest focuses on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

The latest: Fauci says not to worry if you got the J&J jab, pause to likely last just a few days; bar and restaurant curfew moving to midnight next week; graduation ceremonies permitted as of May 1; Deutsche Bank to offer voluntary vaccines for employees and dependents in NYC office.

By the Numbers:

New York State: 1,957,551 (+6,192)
New York City: 879,386 (+2,894)
Statewide Fatalities: 41,301 (+43)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 3.4 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 5.3 percent (no change)
Vaccine Progress:
- NYS first doses administered: 7,811,084 (+105,997)
- NYC first doses administered: 2,895,820 (+87,247)

General Updates:

Yesterday, the FDA recommended states cease administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to concerns of blood clotting. New York’s compliance was swift, but the result could mean a slowdown for the vaccine rollout. (NBC New York)
- Anyone who had a J&J appointment was switched to one receiving Pfizer or Moderna shots. Gov. Cuomo has assured that the state has enough supply without J&J to continue the current vaccination pace, but it complicates efforts at pop-up and mobile sites, as well as the programs for homebound seniors, that rely on the efficiency of the single dose.
The CDC held a meeting today to review the evidence, and Dr. Fauci said he expects the J&J pause to last just a few days. (NBC News) But officials are concerned that the pause will have a greater chilling effect on the not insignificant number of people who were already hesitant or fearful of getting the vaccine. (Wall Street Journal)
- The blood clot disorder is an extremely rare occurrence, and several experts have called the FDA’s recommendation an overreaction — just six of the roughly seven million people who have received the J&J dose reported blood clots. Several common medications carry a higher risk of blood clots than that, as does the coronavirus itself. (Axios)
- But others say the pause was the right call “out of an abundance of caution,” especially since the White House has made sure the US had access to 600 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, so there is enough supply for every American without J&J.
If you’ve gotten the J&J vaccine already, don’t panic. (Dr. Fauci says so.) Your chance of developing rare blood clots is literally less than one in a million. Just watch for these rare symptoms.
Meanwhile, NYC Council Member and Health Committee chair Mark Levine said for the first time, vaccination appointments aren’t being immediately filled in NYC, with hundreds of appointments open for this week alone, especially at smaller pharmacy and community sites.

Spread the word: the Tech:NYC team is growing! We’re looking for a director to lead our membership experience and a policy analyst that can build data-driven insights on the tech and policy landscape in New York. Learn more about both roles and how to apply here.

The latest results: In the last week, more colleges and universities now require students to be fully vaccinated to come back to campus for the fall semester. New York is launching a new initiative to help institutions in the state expedite that process by providing a supply of doses to campuses directly. Unless for religious or medical exemptions, do you think the vaccine should be mandatory at all higher education institutions?

Today's poll

: While Midtown may still be relatively quiet, other areas in the city are reportedly seeing an

uptick in foot traffic and retail shopping

. Part of that is because people who would be commuting to Midtown are instead going out in their residential neighborhood, but as the vaccine becomes more common and reopening measures expand, both

subway ridership

and

toll traffic

are inching back into pre-pandemic behaviors. On average, how often are you traveling outside your neighborhood?

*|SURVEY: Daily|*
*|SURVEY: Several days a week|*
*|SURVEY: A couple days a week|*
*|SURVEY: Sporadically|*
*|SURVEY: Rarely|*

A couple of new reopening updates:
- Beginning April 19th, the 11pm curfew for bars and restaurants will be extended to midnight.
- Beginning April 23rd, auto and horse racing events may resume with spectators at maximum 20 percent capacity.
- Graduation ceremonies may resume on May 1st, and celebratory events like balls and proms may resume beginning June 1st. Both indoor and outdoor venues for those occasions are subject to the relevant capacity and proof of testing or vaccination rules. See the full guidance here.
While experts wait to see if office workers and tourists will bring a much-needed infusion of economic activity into midtown Manhattan, a new look at five neighborhood business hubs in each borough shows signs of resilience. (New York Times)
- Business districts outside of Manhattan are largely holding up better and, in some cases, almost performing at pre-pandemic levels. The most encouraging data shows that when people went out, they shopped locally, sustaining foot traffic and retail activity closest to home.
Uber, PayPal, and Walgreens, in partnership with NYC-based nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation, have launched an $11 million fund to provide free ride-hail trips to COVID-19 vaccination sites for those who lack access to transportation. (Reuters)
Mayor de Blasio announced a new “community care plan” that will invest $58 million in the first year of a five-year initiative to expand equitable access to senior services. (CBS New York)
Lincoln Center’s concrete plaza is going green — literally. Set designer Mimi Lien will transform the space into a giant lawn (with seating areas and a snack bar!). The space will be open to the public from 9am to midnight daily beginning May 10th. (Gothamist)