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Tech:NYC Digest: January 19

Tech:NYC Digest: January 19

January 19, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes

Tuesday, January 19, 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: Vaccine supply not on pace with expanded eligibility, NYC to run short by Friday; Pres. Biden to issue federal mask mandate in first 10 days; Cuomo wants to purchase vaccine directly from Pfizer, but the pharma says they need federal approval first; PPP opens to recipients of all sizes today, after first prioritizing SMBs; Happy Biden-Harris Inauguration Eve!

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 1,258,087 (+12,512)
New York City: 531,007 (+5,350)
Statewide Fatalities: 33,224 (+167)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 5.7 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 8.2 percent (-0.1 percent)

General Updates:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who will stay in his role and serve as President-elect Biden’s chief medical advisor, said today that if the new administration’s vaccine rollout strategy goes as planned, the US could begin to see the effects of her immunity and normalcy by early-to-mid fall. (Axios)
When it comes to getting the vaccine, there’s a lot of confusion: there are city-run sites and state-run sites; there are separate city and state tools for booking appointments; and there’s a network of thousands of other providers like pharmacies and community health centers with their own protocols. Here’s a good FAQ about navigating it all.
More than one million doses have now been administered in New York. (NY State of Politics) But we’ll need a lot more to continue scaling the state’s distribution efforts. Early in the new Biden Administration, ramping up supply from the federal government will be key, as at least 28 states have now opened up eligibility to older people with the same finite supply. (New York Times) In NYC, supply will run out by Friday without more being shipped to the state, according to Mayor de Blasio. (NY1)
- A new state portal showing vaccination rates is available here. The NYC-specific data is also being updated here.
In a “First Ten Days” memo, Biden released a blitz of actions he plans take immediately upon entering office, including a federal mask mandate, expanding vaccine access to neighborhood pharmacies, reimbursing states to bring in National Guard and FEMA support for vaccine delivery, and extending eviction moratoriums and the suspension of student loan interest collection. (Axios)
And lastly, here’s everything you need to know for tuning into Inauguration Day festivities. (NBC News)
- They actually start tonight, when President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will host a national mourning ceremony for the 400,000 lives lost to COVID-19 so far, live at 5:30pm ET here.
- Tomorrow, the inauguration ceremony is scheduled to begin around 11am ET, when Biden will be sworn in and deliver an address immediately after. Next, the traditional Pass in Review will happen with members of the military to mark the peaceful transfer of power.
- At 3:15pm ET, a virtual “Parade Across America” will commence with performances from all 56 states and territories, and finally, at 8:30pm ET, a star-studded “Celebrating America” special will air featuring performances and remarks from both Biden and Harris.

One good read: Biden’s COVID-19 Plan is Maddeningly Obvious (New York Times)

One read in the ‘news you can use’ category: 57 ideas to decompress from *gestures* all of this (Washington Post)

The latest results: Following a recent court decision, Gov. Cuomo announced that indoor dining may resume at 50 percent capacity in hotspot regions across the state where it has been restricted, except for NYC. What do you think the policy for the city should be?

Today's poll

: Today marks the last day of the Trump presidency. As pardons fly out of the Oval Office, the National Guard continues to fly into DC (

over 15,000

) in preparation for the most secure inauguration event in the history of the country — a response to the deadly attack on the Capitol earlier this month. Do you

plan to watch

the swearing in of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris tomorrow?

*|SURVEY: Yes, I am attending a virtual watch event|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, I will tune in on TV/online|*
*|SURVEY: No, I do not plan on tuning in|*

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

Reopening:

Gov. Cuomo said yesterday that New York is seeing a decline in COVID-19 rates after the holiday surge. (Times Union) Positivity rates are decreasing statewide and the rate of new hospitalizations is slowing.
A new poll found that more than a quarter of New Yorkers do not plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine, falling short of the immunity thresholds of at least 75 to 85 percent that public health officials are aiming for. (NY State of Politics)
Five state-run mass vaccination sites, which includes the Javits Center in Manhattan, are open so far, and eight more will open this week, including the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. (NYS)
With the federal government slow to send sufficient numbers of vaccines to states, Gov. Cuomo sent a letter to the CEO of Pfizer, Dr. Albert Bourla, asking to purchase additional supply of the vaccine directly. (Wall Street Journal) The company replied that the US Department of Health and Human Services would have to approve such a move. (New York Post)
Gov. Cuomo is warning that, in addition to the variant strain thought to originally be from the UK spreading in New York, separate variants confirmed in South Africa and Brazil also threaten to make their way to the state. (New York Post) Here’s a good roundup of everything we know so far about the variant strains.
The MTA announced it will delay a scheduled increase in subway and bus fares due to go into effect in the spring in an effort to avoid hitting low-income and essential workers who rely on mass transit more than others right now. (NY1)
Pfizer, Moderna, and Oxford are all beginning trials for giving the vaccines to children under 16, with results expected in mid-2021. (Bloomberg)
COVID-19 exposure on flights is more common than you think, according to data made available not by the CDC or US airlines, but by Canada. (USA Today)