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Tech:NYC Digest: January 8

Tech:NYC Digest: January 8

January 08, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Friday, January 8, 2021Reminder: Together with our peers in cities across the country — sf.citi, sea.citi, TechUnited:NJ, LA-Tech.org, and Austin Tech Alliance — we put together a statement in response to the insurrection at the Capitol this week. We encourage you to sign and share with your teams, encouraging them to sign on as well. This is not a company letter, but one for individuals who work in the tech sector to reaffirm their commitment to — and belief in — democracy. Join the statement here.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

The latest: New York cases continue to mount; 75+ and essential workers can start getting vaccinations on Monday; President-elect Biden says he will release all available vaccines instead of tapering distribution; PPP loans reopen Monday, minority-owned businesses get first slot; New York bill requiring certain COVID workplace protocols may gain more momentum.Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 1,075,312 (+17,636)
New York City: 460,520 (+6,387)
Statewide Fatalities: 31,164 (+197)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 6.4 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 9.2 percent (-0.1 percent)

*The above numbers represent the most recent available data from the state, but may not reflect the situation today. If you'd like to get today's data before our next digest, you can check case counts here and positivity rates here.

General Updates:

Yet another grim milestone in the fight against the pandemic came yesterday: the US surpassed 4,000 coronavirus-related deaths, the most in a single day since the pandemic began. (Washington Post) Meanwhile, New York set a new high single-day case count. (NBC New York)
Mayor de Blasio has continued to push Gov. Cuomo to grant the city more flexibility in making the vaccine eligible to more groups outside of “Phase 1A,” healthcare workers in hospitals. (amNY) To that end, Gov. Cuomo announced that, beginning Monday, vaccinations can begin for those in “Phase 1B” which includes people 75 years of age and older and essential workers, such as: teachers and education staff, police and fire first responders, public transit and public safety workers. (CBS News)
- Five large vaccination sites — one in each borough — will open on Monday to begin accommodating the expanded eligibility. (ABC New York) The Javits Center is also reopening on Wednesday as a mass vaccination site.
But to put that in perspective: given the supply of vaccines New York is currently receiving — about 300,000 doses per week — it will take the state 14 weeks to vaccinate those groups, meaning groups in Phase 2 will begin receiving the vaccine on April 16 at the earliest. (Newsday)
- Seventy percent of New Yorkers — or 14 million people — need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. If our current supply rate and vaccination timetable remains the same, it will take approximately 47 weeks — or until early December 2021 — to get there.
That’s why Gov. Cuomo, alongside seven other governors, is calling for more supply to be released to speed up the number of people being vaccinated. (The Hill) President-elect Joe Biden announced he plans to release all available vaccine doses, breaking with the Trump administration policy of holding back some stock to ensure second doses are available. (CNN)
A little good news: a new study shows that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine protects against the variant strain quickly spreading in some states in the US. (Washington Post)
And lastly: Bill Hader thinks Stefon probably caught COVID-19 a couple of times by now. (Vulture)

One read worth your time: What Schumer’s Rise To Senate Majority Leader Means for New York (New York Times)

And another one: How to Talk To Your Team About the Violence at the US Capitol (Harvard Business Review)

Reopening:

The next round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans will open on Monday, but it won’t be all at once this time. (Axios) The SBA will prioritize applications from minority-owned businesses. (POLITICO)
- It will open first for first-draw borrowers working through community financial institutions, and then on Wednesday it will open to second-draw borrowers working with those same institutions.
- Requirements this time around include new payroll limits (300 vs. 500) and that applicants can demonstrate at least a 25 percent reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.
- One change from the first round: the SBA won’t automatically assign loan numbers to applicants, but instead use a software program to vet some of the information first. That may mean an overnight lag between application submission and approval.
A new report by the NYC Independent Budget Office predicted the city will collect $11.3 billion less in tax revenue through fiscal year 2023, casting a long shadow over the city’s recovery timeline. The report was optimistic, however, that the recovery would dramatically accelerate in 2021. (Wall Street Journal)
In a sign that the economy may be backsliding again as the pandemic resurges, US employers lost 140,000 jobs last month, the first drop of employment in April. (New York Times)
The eviction moratorium bills recently passed by the New York State Legislature aren’t automatic. Renters and homeowners who want to take advantage of the protections must fill out a hardship declaration. (THE CITY)
OMNY, the NYC subway’s contactless fare payment system, has now been installed at all stations citywide, and the MTA announced it will completely replace MetroCards in 2023. (TimeOut New York)