NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York State began 2022 with over 1,000 more COVID-19 hospitalizations than in January 2021, according to figures announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul Monday.
Approximately 9,563 New Yorkers are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, which is nearly 1,300 more patients than Jan. 3, 2021.
The number of new daily cases, however, did drop to around 51,000, according to the governor, who added that the state is preparing to see a spike in all statistics in the next week.
“Those numbers are going to be much higher tomorrow,” Hochul said. “They didn't go from 90,000 to 51,000. That is simply a function of people not getting tested over the weekend.”
Hochul noted that the figures are in line with what health officials predicted would come amid the “winter surge.”
On Monday, the governor noted that the state has also recorded 103 new coronavirus-related deaths, which is the first time that the state has recorded triple-digit fatalities since vaccinations became available.
The number of available hospital beds in New York is also continuing to shrink as 21 facilities statewide have already been forced to halt elective surgeries, given that they all have less than 10% capacity.
Hochul said the Finger Lakes region and Monroe County, which included Rochester, are currently being watched closely, as hospital capacity in those areas have shrunk to 14.4% and 13%, respectively.
“We fully anticipate that on top of the surge that's ongoing, there's going to be another wave that's occurring as a result of these holidays,” Hochul said.
The governor, however, did stress that there are much more tools for fighting the virus now than there were in 2020 and at the beginning of 2021.
She added that one of the best weapons the state has in combating a rise in COVID-19 infections is the vast abundance of vaccines available.
Already, 95% of adults over the age of 18 in New York have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; and beginning this week, the state plans to make personal phone calls to those who have yet to get a second dose in hopes of encouraging people to finish their series.
Additionally, New York plans to reopen COVID-19 testing sites on SUNY campuses – including at Stony Brook University and Purchase College – to further increase testing capacity across the state.
Those sites will be state-run and open to all members of the public again. Tests are completely free, and appointments will not be necessary.
“We’re trying to be creative in our approach to make testing easier for everybody,” said Hochul.
The governor also announced that 5.2 million testing kits have been sent to schools across the state for students returning to class and another 3.78 million arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday.
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