NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that she sees a “glimmer of hope” in New York state’s declining COVID-19 cases even as hospitalizations continue to rise.
Hochul said the number of cases—48,686 on Monday—is now on a downward trend, with New York City cases plateauing at a faster rate than the rest of the state.
“It looks like we might be cresting over that peak,” Hochul said during a briefing at her Manhattan office. “We’re not at the end, but this is to me a glimmer of hope at a time when we desperately need that.”
The statewide infection rate declining with the cases, but it remains high at 18.61%. The seven-day average is 20.91%.
The state’s hospitalizations increased by 518 to 12,540 patients on Monday—the highest level since April 2020—while the 160 new deaths reported Monday were the most in a single day since mass vaccinations began.
However, the governor said that the rate of increase in hospitalizations is slowing, though upstate New York is “about two weeks behind downstate.”
Hochul noted another troubling number—91% of kids ages 5 to 11 newly admitted to hospitals were unvaccinated—as she announced a new #VaxForKids campaign to increase the vaccination rate of children.
The campaign includes new efforts to reach parents and guardians with radio, television and online ads in English and Spanish.
Hochul said she's hoping to ease COVID-19 restrictions eventually but that the state isn’t there yet.
“I look forward to let the public know when we can start rolling back mandates and requirements that were put in place,” she said.
In the meantime, New York health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said officials are keeping an eye on a new variant identified in France, but she said it hasn’t been found in the state.
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