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Tech:NYC Digest: December 9

Tech:NYC Digest: December 9

December 09, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Wednesday, December 9, 2020As NYC’s reopening and recovery efforts continue, the 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: White House stimulus proposal nixes bonus unemployment benefits, Congress unmoved; Gov. Cuomo predicts FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine tomorrow, New York to conduct its own review following; the state has set up 90 vaccine distribution sites with sub-zero storage; businesses preparing return to in-person reimagine offices as a reflection company culture, not individual working spaces.

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 733,064 (+10,600)
New York City: 340,974 (+3,742)
Statewide Fatalities: 27,404 (+95)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 4.1 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 4.8 percent (-0.1 percent)

General Updates:

The US has recorded its most coronavirus-related deaths over one week-long period as the surge continues to gain momentum in most of the country. (New York Times) More than 2,800 deaths were reported yesterday, New York was responsible for less than 100 of those.
- Of the deaths in NYC, Staten Island now accounts for 25 percent of them, even though the borough makes up just five percent of the city’s population. (The Hill)
But while many cities and states are blowing past their spring peaks, NYC is still well below the highest case counts it saw in the spring — the city’s seven-day rolling average of new cases is just over 2,700, compared to more than 8,000 on April 15. (NYC)
Beginning today, Gov. Cuomo is no longer holding live briefings with any in-person attendees. (New York Daily News) The change comes at the recommendation of the CDC, and reporters will now have to stream them and ask questions remotely.
The United Arab Emirates says that Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned vaccine maker, released early clinical trial data that shows an 86 percent efficacy rate in their vaccine. (CNBC)
The FDA is meeting tomorrow to debate recommending approval for the Pfizer vaccine in the US. A final decision and the first shots could follow within days. (AP)
- Health Canada, the neighboring country’s equivalent of our Department of Health and Human Services, announced its official approval of the Pfizer vaccine today. (CBC)
But we must remind you: an imminent vaccine doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. Among all the other precautions, we hope you’re making use of COVID Alert NY — it’s an exposure notification app we helped build and is increasingly effective the more people download it, which you can do here. (Already have it on your phone? You can leave a review for Apple here or for Android here.)

One story we love: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez launched a Homework Helpers program to provide virtual homework help each week to students learning from home. To date, 11,000 volunteers have now signed up (including AOC herself).

Yesterday's results: Tech companies like Mastercard are hopeful the promising vaccine timeline might allow employees to return to the office sooner than projected. Do the latest estimates for when a vaccine will be widely available change when you expect to return to the office?

Today's poll

: FDA approval for the Pfizer vaccine is likely happening this week, triggering millions of doses to be distributed across the country. But for the vaccine to protect the public at scale, officials will have to contend with a sizable proportion of people who are

unsure or not planning to take it

— suggestions have included offering incentives like

paying people to get vaccinated

passing legislation to make the vaccine mandatory

if voluntary adoption levels aren’t reached. How do you think the government should get people to take the vaccine?

*|SURVEY: It should be mandatory to take the vaccine|*
*|SURVEY: It should be voluntary, but incentives should be offered to take the vaccine|*
*|SURVEY: It should be voluntary and no incentives should be offered|*

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

Reopening:

Gov. Cuomo said he will release a new plan of measures on Friday following analysis of data related to virus spread over the Thanksgiving holiday. (NBC New York)
He also said he expects the FDA will approve the Pfizer vaccine tomorrow. Immediately following, New York’s own review panel will convene to verify the federal approval data and give its own approval. (NY State of Politics)
- FDA approval means that six million doses will be available for distribution nationwide. Half of those will ship immediately, and the other half is the supply of second doses which will get to states 21 days after the first batch.
- New York State expects to receive 170,000 of those doses, with 72,000 allocated for NYC. (CBS News)
- All staff of every hospital in New York State will have access to the first allocation, followed by long-term and congregate care workers and residents, and then EMS and other healthcare workers.
New York State has set up 90 regional distribution centers capable of the sub-zero cold storage that can keep vaccines at the necessary temperature. (Gothamist)
The White House has proposed a $916 billion stimulus bill that includes onetime direct payments of $600 to Americans, but does not revive funding for the enhanced weekly unemployment benefits. (New York Times) The plan is not winning much favor with lawmakers, who say the focus should be on moving the bipartisan package forward.
While those negotiations are ongoing, Gov. Cuomo is playing a bit of a waiting game in the hopes that a Biden administration will expedite more robust state and local government aid to fend off tax increases. (NY State of Politics)
Candidates for the NYC mayoral race are weighing in on school plans as hundreds of public school buildings reopen this week, and for some of them, the plans are personal. (New York Times)