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Tech:NYC Digest: January 4

Tech:NYC Digest: January 4

January 04, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes

Monday, January 4, 2021Welcome to 2021! We hope you had a safe and restful holiday. With the ongoing coronavirus surge still very much a reality in New York, we’re resuming our daily digest to bring you the latest on what it means for your businesses and lives. As we head into the new year, if you have ideas for topics or issues you’d like to see covered here, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch here.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

The latest: Cases climb in the new year as officials aim to ramp up vaccinations; first variant strain of coronavirus confirmed in upstate New York; New York’s quarantine requirement following a close contact reduced to ten days from 14, reflecting CDC guidance; new paid family leave laws now in effect, increasing time off and weekly pay for New York caregivers.

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 1,028,362 (+11,209)
New York City: 443,647 (+3,726)
Statewide Fatalities: 30,648 (+170)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 6.2 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 9.0 percent (-0.1 percent)

General Updates:

New York is beginning the new year with some grim pandemic numbers. As the state contends with an expected spike in cases due to holiday travel and gatherings, it has surpassed one million confirmed cases of the coronavirus. (NBC News) Hospitalizations in the state have climbed up to more than 8,000 patients, and at least 49 zip codes in NYC are now averaging a positivity rate above ten percent according to city data. (ABC New York)
- You can see the status of your zip code here.
- That’s still nowhere near the magnitude of the first wave, but public health officials say the city must quickly accelerate vaccine distribution to avoid case levels matching those from last spring — and to do so before new variants of the virus become more widespread. (New York Times)
The US isn’t faring any better as a whole (and in many places, it’s much worse). The nationwide case count has surpassed 20 million — that’s one in every 17 people — and the death total is now more than 350,000. (NPR)
Those sustained high levels make vaccine distribution all the more important, but so far, the rollout has been lagging. About 300,000 vaccines have been administered in New York to date, with just over 110,000 of those in NYC. (New York Times) Both Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio announced plans for ramping up distribution. (NY1) More on that below.
Because of the slow pace, scientists are now debating whether to advise delaying a second dose so more first shots can be provided faster. (New York Times) Another idea being considered: giving half-doses of the Moderna vaccine. (New York Post)
Gov. Cuomo confirmed this afternoon that a Dept. of Health lab in Albany has reported a positive test for the variant strain of COVID-19 in a resident from Saratoga County. The infected person had not been traveling, which suggests community spread of the virus variant. (Gothamist) First found in Britain (which, by the way, returned to a full national lockdown today due to the variant), it has also been detected in at least 33 countries and in three US states: Florida, California, and Colorado. (USA Today)
And lastly, let us introduce you to the latest social media trend: vaxxies.

One good read: The great NYC comeback: our commitment to the city’s rebound (New York Daily News)

Today's poll: Even with a far smaller, socially distanced crowd, the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop retained its excitement and glamour (h/t J-Lo). Millions of people tuned in to mark the end of a draining year from the safety of their couch. Did you make it to midnight?

*|SURVEY: Yes, I had to see 2021 off and welcome 2021 ASAP|*
*|SURVEY: No, I rang in the new year with a good night's sleep|*

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

Reopening:

The vaccination rate is not growing as quickly as many officials would like — NYC has administered more than 110,000 vaccines since mid-December. (New York Daily News) Mayor de Blasio said the city plans to vaccinate a million New Yorkers by the end of the month, which would mean vaccinating about 400,000 people per week. (POLITICO)
- You can find the daily tracker showing vaccination rates here.
- Mayor de Blasio announced that NYC’s first three vaccination hubs will open in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx on Sunday. (The Daily Beast) He also said today that the city will set up more hubs that will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Similarly, Gov. Cuomo said today the state will make more effort to accelerate the number of vaccines being administered.
- Right now, people covered in Phase 1A of the vaccine prioritization plan are eligible to receive the vaccine. Beginning today, that opens up eligibility to all medical and healthcare workers who interact with the public.
- That distribution is being administered by the state’s 194 hospitals, but some are more efficient than others. (Crain's New York) On average, New York hospitals have used just 46 percent of their allocations.
- In response, Gov. Cuomo announced that the Dept. of Health will begin enforcing expedited timelines for vaccine use. Any vaccine provider that doesn’t administer all of their allocations within seven days of receipt could be disqualified from future distribution and be subject to fines and other penalties.
There will also be increased attention on the ethics of the distribution. The New York State Dept. of Health has already recorded an incident in which a supply of doses was fraudulently rerouted to members of the general public in violation of state guidelines. (NY1)
- Gov. Cuomo said today that any entity that falsifies their provider status or doesn’t follow state guidelines on distribution will be subject to hefty fines and will lose their license. He also plans to propose a law to the state legislature to attach the offenses to criminal penalties.
A study by NYU School of Medicine has shown that once 10 to 20 percent of the city is vaccinated, the number of new cases will begin to drop — so long as social distancing and mask wearing remains constant and the new more infectious variant does not find a foothold. (New York Times)
New York is shortening its quarantine requirements for people potentially exposed to the virus from 14 days to ten days, a move that aligns with the most recently updated CDC guidelines. (New York Daily News)
Gauss, a healthcare diagnostics startup, is partnering with Truepill, a digital health platform, to deliver rapid at-home COVID tests directly to consumers. (Axios) FDA approval for the tests are expected imminently, and at that time, consumers will be able to order tests directly from the Gauss website. The companies expect to manufacture up to 30 million tests in the first quarter of 2021.
New Year’s weekend was the highest level of air travel since the pandemic began, with 1.3 million people passing through TSA checkpoints on Sunday alone. (NBC New York)
In a law passed by the state legislature, the moratorium halting evictions and foreclosures for most New York residents will be in effect until May 1. (Gothamist) The legislation gives renters, homeowners, and small property owners about two months to sign a declaration saying they have lost income or dealt with increased costs, or that moving would put them or a member of their household at higher risk of COVID-19 due to an underlying medical condition.
Some good news for hikers and bikers: the Empire State Trail, which allows people to travel from NYC to Buffalo and Canada uninterrupted, has been completed. (Democrat & Chronicle)