Tech:NYC Digest: May 7

Tech:NYC Digest: May 7

May 07, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Friday, May 7, 2021As the vaccination rollout progresses and NYC moves forward with reopening plans, 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.

The latest: Pfizer applies for full vaccine authorization; latest job numbers show slowed growth, especially in manufacturing and retail; New York tax officials have begun auditing 2020 filings of remote workers who did not commute to NYC, but still owe taxes here; India is being devastated by the coronavirus, find dozens of organizations that need support here.By the Numbers:

  • New York State: 2,050,859 (+2,370)

  • New York City: 920,981 (+890)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 42,211 (+25)

  • NYC Positivity Rates: 

    • NYS reports: 1.4 percent (-0.2 percent)

    • NYC reports: 2.4 percent (-0.1 percent)

  • Vaccine Progress:

    • NYS first doses administered: 9,526,358 (+50,314)

    • NYC first doses administered: 3,736,545 (+23,078)

General Updates:

  • Some good news to end the week on: COVID-19 cases are at a seven-month low, largely due to vaccinations. The US averaged 48,000 new cases daily over the past week. It’s the first time since October that average daily cases have been below 50,000. (Axios) Even better, Manhattan’s daily positivity rate yesterday was just 0.6 percent. (NYC)

  • Pfizer applied today for full FDA approval of their COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years and older. As opposed to the emergency use authorization the drugmaker has currently, full approval would allow Pfizer to market the vaccine directly to customers. It could also make it easier for companies, government agencies, and schools to require vaccinations. (New York Times)

  • The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects 185 million Americans will be vaccinated by September. Vaccine hesitancy and the effectiveness of vaccinations against COVID-19 variants could contribute to a possible winter surge of the virus, though. (CNN)

  • The Labor Department released April unemployment numbers, showing steep declines in temporary help, manufacturing, and retail hiring. Employment is more than eight million jobs short of its February 2020 peak. Some experts attribute hiring struggles to expanded government benefits, which offer more value than minimum wage roles. (Reuters)

  • Finally, one reminder: it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday. Still needs ideas for what to get her? It may be simpler than you think. (New York Times)

The latest results: Gov. Cuomo announced today new reopening measures for entertainment and sports venues, including that Broadway ticket sales will begin tomorrow for shows in September. Do you plan on reserving tickets?       

Today's poll

: Team Tech:NYC today did something we haven’t done in a long, long time…. We went out for lunch! Have you seen your work colleagues in person this year?

  • *|SURVEY: Yes|*

  • *|SURVEY: No|*

  • *|SURVEY: Not yet, but we have plans in the works|*

  • Businesses citywide are set to open in the coming weeks at full capacity, but many residential buildings aren’t ready to relax COVID-19 guidelines or reopen to 100 percent just yet. Landlords and real estate management businesses are hesitant to reverse protocols amid staff vaccination efforts. (New York Times)

  • The city is launching a $25 million new program, the City Artist Corps, to give money to artists, musicians, and other performers. The program is expected to create more than 1,500 jobs for artists and will help support artists who have struggled over the course of the pandemic. (New York Daily News) 

  • Good news for gourmands: Michelin stars are back. The company awarded 68 restaurants in the city and Westchester with its coveted stamp of approval. Check out the list here to see what restaurants are worth a detour. 

    • And it’s just in time as restaurants and bars open up to 75 percent indoor capacity in NYC today. (NBC New York)

  • Indian-American New Yorker, Lavanya DJ, compiled a list of local groups on the ground in India supporting the public health effort. The country is weeks into a massive resurgence of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. (Gothamist) Here just are a few ways you can help local Indian organizations providing aid and other resources:

    • The Global India Fund, a US-based organization coordinating with Mumbai nonprofits, is organizing a vaccination drive. $12 funds a vaccine, mask, and nutrition package for one person. Donate here.

    • Setu: Centre for Social Knowledge and Action is raising urgent funds to set up an oxygen plant and purchase around 15 oxygen concentrators in Vadgam, Gujarat. Donate here.

    • The Nageshwar Bimla Foundation is distributing medicine and food in Bihar, one of the poorest states in India. Donate here.

    • PRATYeK is providing healthcare support to the most vulnerable people in Delhi, including elderly individuals without family or another care network. Donate here.

    • Ya All: The Youth Network is providing resources to young LGBTQIA+, young people living with HIV, orphans, young people with disabilities, and migrants and refugees in Manipur. Donate here.

    • There are many more organizations that need support to fight the virus. Additional information can be found at Mutual Aid India.

Related reading:

  • Can Incentives Sway the Vaccine-Hesitant? (Bloomberg)

  • The race to avoid a possible "monster" COVID variant (Axios)

  • Save Snow Days! (New York Times)

Working:

  • As companies get ready to bring employees back to the offices, bosses are facing the question of whether they should require workers to be vaccinated. Mandatory vaccinations would protect service workers and lower anxiety for returning employees, but there could also be backlash and possible litigation. Few executives have taken the steps of mandating vaccines and some are trying to avoid the problem altogether by offering incentives instead. (New York Times)

  • New York tax officials are cracking down on remote workers and are looking at refund claims filed by nonresidents who normally travel to the city for work but started working from home during the pandemic. The state taxes the income of nonresidents if they earn their income from New York-based companies. (Wall Street Journal)

Related reading:

  • The ‘Hybrid Office’ Could Be Great. It Could Also Be Hell (New York Times)

  • Two tales of jobs in tech hubs (Axios)

  • Bank Shot: Financial Giants’ Return to Manhattan Gives Smaller Businesses Hope (THE CITY)

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:

  • May 12: Virtual: An in-depth conversation on the importance of preventative care for women with Dr. Shante Hinson, Dr. Candice Frazer, and Petrushka Bazil Larsen, Co-Owner of Sugar Hill Creamery in Harlem. Hosted by Juno Medical. (Details)

  • May 13: Virtual: Making Workforce Training an Engine of New York State’s Economic Recovery, with Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul, The Knowledge House CEO Jerelyn Rodriguez, and more. Hosted by the Center for an Urban Future and NYATEP. (Details)

  • May 14: Virtual: The Future of Hybrid Work, with Leading at a Distance co-authors and leadership experts Jim Citrin and Darleen DeRosa. Hosted by Axios. (Details)

  • May 18: Virtual: Digital New York Summit, with Tech:NYC founder and executive director Julie Samuels, Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Internet and Technology Committee Chair Assembly Member Clyde Vanel, and more. Hosted by City & State. (Details)

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

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