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Tech:NYC Digest: April 21

Tech:NYC Digest: April 21

April 21, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Wednesday, April 21, 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: Small businesses to be eligible for federal tax credit for giving time off for vaccines; three new at-home tests to hit shelves at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart this week; city launches $30M ad campaign to bring back tourists; “work from office Wednesdays” are the new WFH Fridays.By the Numbers:

New York State: 1,997,516 (+4,326)
New York City: 898,138 (+1,985)
Statewide Fatalities: 41,629 (+53)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 2.9 percent (-0.1 percent)
- NYC reports: 4.8 percent (+0.1 percent)
Vaccine Progress:
- NYS first doses administered: 8,495,354 (+85,284)
- NYC first doses administered: 3,242,038 (+32,527)

General Updates:

Public health officials are warning vaccination rates will likely start progressing more slowly as vaccine enthusiasm begins to dip. In the coming weeks, the second half of the adult population will begin getting the shot, but doing so will be more of an uphill battle as the holdouts thus far are inherently harder to reach and more reluctant to get the shot. (New York Times)
- But surveys show that more people are becoming comfortable with getting the jab after seeing loved ones get it without major side effects, and as a result, vaccine hesitancy is actually on the decline.
For an extra push, Pres. Biden has also called on employers to give workers paid time off to get vaccinated. He announced that small businesses (classified to mean 500 employees or less) will be eligible for a new tax credit reimbursing them for the paid time off they provide. (Axios) Details on the credit from the IRS can be found here.
Hundreds of COVID-19 testing sites are still being operated in NYC, but more at-home, over-the-counter methods are becoming available, as well. Starting this week, three new rapid at-home tests will be sold at CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. At least one of the tests will be priced for less than $30. (Reuters)
New data on antibody rates indicates that nearly a quarter of adult New Yorkers were infected with the coronavirus during the first major wave last spring, and of those, Black and Hispanic residents were twice as likely to have caught the virus compared to whites. The study adds to our understanding of how people of color were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. (New York Times)
Counterfeit vaccines are starting to pop up. Fake Pfizer vaccines were found in Mexico and Poland, but so far, no fake vaccines have been reported in the United States. (Wall Street Journal)

The latest results: After state legislators cleared the haze of prohibition late March, New Yorkers 21 and older can legally celebrate the 4/20 holiday this Tuesday by partaking in recreational cannabis. Though possession of flower, edibles, and concentrates became immediately legal, plans for dispensaries and other aspects of the industry will be ironed out over the next year. What do you think cannabis retail should look like in New York City?

Today's poll

: With large numbers of people still avoiding the subway — including 43.5% of our readers when we asked on Monday — other means of transportation are becoming a bigger part of New Yorkers’ routines.

Micromobility is growing

in all five boroughs — Citi Bike recently expanded to

every corner of Manhattan

, an e-scooter pilot

just launched in the Bronx

with 3,000 scooters from Lime, Bird, and Veo, and Revel announced a

citywide e-bike subscription

in February. What’s your primary method of getting around New York, aside from public transit?

*|SURVEY: Bike/e-bike|*
*|SURVEY: E-scooter|*
*|SURVEY: Moped|*
*|SURVEY: Car/taxi/rideshare|*
*|SURVEY: By foot|*
*|SURVEY: Other|*

Beginning April 23rd, 16 state-run mass vaccination sites will accept walk-in appointments for New Yorkers age 60 and older.
- Emphasis on the state-run part — that includes the Javits Center, Yankee Stadium, York College in Queens, and Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. The full list of state sites can be found here.
- For city-run sites, the rules allow residents age 50 and older, plus an accompanying person, to walk-in without an appointment.
- Pharmacies are not yet accepting walk-ins.
The masks could be coming off: Mayor de Blasio has hinted outdoor mask rules may ease up during the summer. It’s a move that could conflict with Gov. Cuomo’s ongoing mask mandates, which has not changed even as the state’s COVID-19 numbers have continued to decline. (NBC New York)
Mayor de Blasio today announced a $30 million initiative to encourage tourists to come back to the city. Funded with federal stimulus money, the campaign far exceeds the city’s typical $3 million tourism advertising budget and comes at a time when the average hotel occupancy hovers around 50 percent. (Wall Street Journal)
Various nonprofits focused on human services, like the YMCA and Citymeals on Wheels, are struggling financially. A new study from the Center for an Urban Future finds that, due to large spending increases to assist those in need during the pandemic, organizations are cash-strapped with little recourse — the city is seeking fewer contracts and normal fundraising efforts like galas are difficult to do as successfully all-remote. (Gothamist)