ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Thirty-two upstate New York hospitals had to suspend performing non-essential elective surgeries starting Thursday under an emergency order from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The previously announced order is designed to ease capacity strains on hospitals as COVID-19 cases surge. The order applies to hospitals that have less than 10% bed capacity available.
“This is what keeps me up at night,” Hochul said at a news briefing. “We continue to see an uptick in hospitalizations.”
She said the state will reassess the pauses on Jan. 15.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said despite concerns about the omicron variant, the uptick in hospitalizations and cases reflects the delta variant’s spread.
There are now 20 confirmed cases of the new omicron variant in the state, with 13 of them in New York City, three in Suffolk County, two Oneida County, one in Westchester County and one in Broome County, Hochul said.
“We expect these numbers to continue to rise, and at this point, we are prepared to say what we have is community spread,” Hochul said.
“It is not coming from people who have traveled.”
As cases increase, several counties have started imposing mask requirements.
In central New York, Oneida County officials announced that starting Monday they will require masks to be worn in indoor public places and for temperature checks to be conducted at social gatherings taking place outside of private residences, though there will be an opt-out if proof of vaccine is required for entry.