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Tech:NYC Digest: March 25

Tech:NYC Digest: March 25

March 25, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Thursday, March 25, 2021As the vaccination rollout progresses and NYC continues to respond to the pandemic, this 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.

Pres. Biden promises 200M doses administered by 100th day; Albany reaches deal to legalize recreational cannabis by next year; 75 percent of NYC bars and restaurants saw revenues fall more than half year-over-year; new Microsoft study found people were in meetings 148 percent more in February 2021 than February 2020.

By the Numbers:

New York State: 1,809,837 (+8,081)
New York City: 807,473 (+4,033)
Statewide Fatalities: 40,141 (+45)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 4.2 percent (+0.1 percent)
- NYC reports: 6.2 percent (-0.2 percent)
Vaccine Progress:
- NYS first doses administered: 5,496,075 (+122,121)
- NYC first doses administered: data unavailable due to temporary city database technical issues

General Updates:

After questions arose earlier this week on the accuracy of clinical trial data for AstraZeneca’s vaccine, the drugmaker released updated findings showing the vaccine to have a 76 percent efficacy rate, just a hair down from its previous result. (New York Times) It reiterated that the vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing severe disease and 85 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in people age 65 and older.
After the US surpassed the 100 million vaccination milestone much earlier than expected, Pres. Biden upped his administration’s goal to reach twice that number of vaccinations by his 100th day in office. (CNBC)
- The vaccine rollout is moving quickly in many parts of the country, and public health experts are increasingly optimistic about how the pandemic is playing out as we head into the spring and summer seasons. (NPR)
The accelerated goal indicates the White House is confident it can again expedite vaccine supply to states in the coming two months. At least 40 states now say they will meet or beat Pres. Biden’s May 1st deadline to open up eligibility to all adults. (New York Times)
- New York is not (yet, at least) on that list: Gov. Cuomo has not laid out a timeline for fully opening eligibility, saying yesterday he instead preferred to gradually lower the age threshold for vaccination based on near-term supply.
Manhattan residents who fled during the pandemic didn’t go very far: new data collected in the last twelve months shows that roughly 37 percent of people who left the island last year moved to Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and other nearby suburbs. (Bloomberg)

The latest results: A new study found that, in reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, US national media produces far more negative coverage than local and regional sources or international sources, regardless of political lean. Where do you get the majority of your COVID-related news?

Today's poll

: Roughly 25 percent of the US total population has received one or both doses of the vaccine, a number that is expected to accelerate across the country in the next two months — right in time for Memorial Day, the date that traditionally kicks off the

summer vacation season

. Confidence in that timeline, as well as flexible cancellation policies and other perks, has given the travel industry a much-needed,

sudden surge

. When do you expect to travel for your next vacation?

*|SURVEY: Summer|*
*|SURVEY: Fall/winter|*
*|SURVEY: 2022 or later|*
*|SURVEY: I've already resumed traveling|*

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

New York state lawmakers struck a deal to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana by next year. (Wall Street Journal) The agreement comes after years of impasse, and the new legislation will create a state regulator for the purchase of cannabis products, as well as allow New Yorkers to cultivate marijuana for personal use.
- If the bill passes, New York will become the fifteenth state in the country to legalize recreational use of the drug, which is expected to bring as much as $350 million in new revenue to the state in the first year. (Gothamist)
While investigations into how Gov. Cuomo handled coronavirus cases in nursing homes continue, state lawmakers unanimously passed legislation that repeals COVID-19 legal liability protections granted to nursing homes and hospitals. The bill now heads to the governor to sign, and if he declines to do so, legislative supermajorities in both houses could override his veto. (Spectrum News)
Mayor de Blasio announced that the city will open a vaccination site on Broadway dedicated to theatre industry workers in an effort to help Broadway theater houses and other live performance venues reopen by the fall. (New York Times) Pop-up testing sites will also be set up around Times Square for workers coming back into the district.
The latest survey by the NYC Hospitality Alliance found that 75 percent of bars and restaurants reported their 2020 revenues fell by more than half compared to 2019. Another 21 percent said their revenues were down between 26 and 50 percent. (Gothamist)
- As the federal government begins disbursing aid from the $28 billion fund for restaurants passed as part of the American Rescue Plan, half of restaurant owners said rent assistance is the most critical form of support they need while pandemic measures remain in place.
Just in time for your summer outdoor activities: Pier 76, a recently closed NYPD tow pound on the Hudson River, will reopen as a public park by June 1st. (Time Out New York)