Tech:NYC Digest: February 9

Tech:NYC Digest: February 9

February 09, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Tuesday, February 9, 2021As NYC works through another surge of the coronavirus, 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: New York City surpasses milestone of one million first doses administered; NY Senate bill aims to provide $100M in emergency small business relief; Salesforce anticipates hybrid model post-pandemic, with 65 percent of employees working in office one to three days per week; listen to the latest episode of Talk:NYC with New York Times Metro reporter Dana Rubinstein.

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 1,487,086 (+7,866)

  • New York City: 363,699 (+4,352) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 36,481 (+138)

  • NYC Positivity Rates:

    • NYS reports: 5.1 percent (no change)

    • NYC reports: 8.1 percent (-0.2 percent)

General Updates:

  • New York officials said, as of today, 10 percent of the state’s residents have now received the first dose of the vaccine. In NYC, more than one million doses have now been administered. (New York Post)

  • New York is set to receive another five percent boost in its allocation of vaccine doses from the federal government, on top of the 20 percent increase already promised over the next three weeks. (amNY) That means the state should now begin receiving about 333,000 doses per week.

  • The latest volunteer effort to help locate vaccine appointments is a tool created by an Airbnb engineer. TurboVax scans appointment availability across all city- and state-run sites and publishes them in real time. (New York Times)

  • And let’s not forget that, while there’s plenty to work on, there’s plenty to celebrate, as well: the vaccine itself is one of the major achievements of the response to the pandemic. Developing a vaccine typically takes an average of 10 years; we now have multiple in less than a year. (Axios)

One good listen: In this week’s episode of Talk:NYC, Julie talks to New York Times Metro reporter Dana Rubinstein about all things NYC politics — yes, including what’s become a very packed mayoral race. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.One good read: NYC Investors Turbo Charge Local Startups (Wall Street Journal)

The latest results: New York recently expanded vaccine eligibility to all individuals 65 and older, as well as various priority groups, including teachers, transit workers, and more. As a result, more than two million doses have now been administered in New York. Do you know someone who’s been administered or is scheduled to soon be administered the COVID-19 vaccine?

Today's poll

: While the Senate’s impeachment trial may be the most important legal development this week, this

is certainly the most relatable. With all of our work and personal lives existing almost entirely virtually for the better part of a year, these sort of video call blunders are increasingly commonplace. Have you experienced a Zoom mishap?

 

 

 

  • *|SURVEY: Yes, I’ve had an embarrassing Zoom moment (or many)|*

  • *|SURVEY: No, my Zoom etiquette is impeccable|*

  • *|SURVEY: I am not a cat|*

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

  • Relief funding provided through the federal government will include $260 million in funeral benefits for families of low-income New Yorkers who died of coronavirus. (New York Daily News)

  • A bill introduced in the State Legislature this week would allocate up to $100 million in federal disaster funds to be used for an emergency small business grant program. (NY State of Politics) Packaged with that measure are two other proposals that would create an emergency loan program and another that would allow small businesses and small landlords to defer some taxes during the declared state of emergency. 

  • Uber is teaming up with Walgreens to offer free riders to people who don’t have a car or a pharmacy nearby to get the vaccine. (CNBC) Walgreens, CVS, and other pharmacies will begin administering shots on-site nationwide in a matter of days. (USA Today)

Related reading:

  • What we know about how the coronavirus started, and why it matters (Washington Post)

  • WHO is working with tech to fight false COVID info online. How’s that going? (NPR)

Working:

  • Salesforce is planning for most of its employees to work remotely part- or full-time after the pandemic. (Wall Street Journal) The company said it expects 65 percent of its workforce to come into the office just one to three days a week after the pandemic and that office layouts are being revamped to feature cafe-style seating, open-air conference rooms, and private nooks to increase collaboration space in place of a “sea of desks.”

  • As Google prepares to return more workers to its offices in 2021, it said it’s anticipating some productivity and financial challenges that could make it harder to maintain corporate culture. (CNBC)

Related reading:

  • Worker Cash-for-Vaccine Incentives Boom Despite Legal Questions (Bloomberg)

  • Google VP says she always listens for these 6 things during the job interview (CNBC)

Request: please let us know as your return-to-office policies are developed and what considerations your companies are taking for developing them. Sharing this information is helpful to companies and employees across the NYC ecosystem and can be kept anonymous.

Recruit: A tech talent and job opportunities board from Tech:NYC and AlleyCorp compiles NYC tech workers looking for new roles and NYC-based tech companies hiring open positions. To contribute to the board, click here.Events:

  • February 10: Virtual: Celebrating Black Excellence in Health Tech, with Ro SVP Dr. Melynda Barnes, Cityblock Health co-founder Dr. Toyin Ajayi, Spora Health CEO Dan Miller, and RubiconMD CEO Gil Addo. Hosted by Ro. (Details) 

  • February 17: Virtual: Section 230 and Your Startup, with US Senate Committee on Finance Chief Adviser Jayme White, Engine Executive Director Kate Tummarello, and more. Hosted by Engine. (Details)

  • February 18: Virtual: VC Voices with H/L Ventures Co-founder and Managing Partner Oliver Libby. Hosted by Betaworks Studios. (Details)

  • February 18: Virtual: A Conversation with Harlem Capital Managing Partner Jarrid Tingle. Hosted by Tech:NYC, Cornell Tech, and Bloomberg. (Details)

  • February 23: Virtual: Bitcoin Brunchwork, with Future\Perfect Ventures Founder and Managing Partner Jalak Jobanputra. Hosted by brunchwork. (Details)

Check these sources for verified information from government agencies and public health authorities:

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