NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi on Monday issued an advisory "strongly recommending" that all New Yorkers regardless of vaccination status wear a mask at all times in public indoor settings, such as grocery stores and offices, as authorities keep a close eye on the omicron variant of COVID-19.
Chokshi noted the advisory applies to all people, including those who are vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who have had the virus.
The health commissioner said there are currently no confirmed cases of omicron in New York City and that the delta variant remains the dominant strain with 98% of specimens sequenced being delta.
"New York City has one of the strongest variant surveillance systems in the country, sequencing hundreds of cases a week, and we do anticipate detecting omicron in New York in the coming days based on what we know about its global spread," Chokshi said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will be doubling down on its vaccination efforts and announced a new vaccine mandate for all employees at city childcare and early intervention programs that will impact 102,000 workers. Those employees have until Dec. 20 to get vaccinated.
"We're going to be in a very vigilant state in the meantime and taking any and all actions as we get facts to support them," de Blasio said. "Based on everything we know, vaccination is crucial to any strategy for addressing omicron."
So far, 88% of adults in New York City have received at least one vaccine dose and 81% of those ages 12 to 17 have gotten at least one shot. The numbers are much lower for children ages 5 to 11 with about 16% getting a shot. The city has administered about 943,000 booster shots.
The mayor said the city's health leadership has been in constant touch with both federal and state authorities to coordinate response efforts. De Blasio has also been in contact with Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who said vaccination will continue to be a key part of his administration's strategy in fighting the virus.
"We are still watching this variant closely, but this could prove to be a critical moment in our war with COVID-19 and we must treat it that way," Adams said. "We're sending a clear message to New Yorkers that vaccine is our most potent weapon, but our coordination is a close second to that and we're going to have that coordination. How we choose to respond as a city will show our resolve against this virus to each other and to the rest of the globe."
The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been confirmed in at least 14 countries, prompting new fears of another COVID wave.
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