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COVID hospitalizations among 65+ NYers drop by 51% amid vaccine rollout

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The rate at which older New York City residents are being hospitalized with COVID-19 has dropped significantly since vaccines began rolling out, the five boroughs' top health official said Wednesday.

New Yorkers ages 65 and older became eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines in January, as they were "prioritized earlier," New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said at Mayor Bill de Blasio's daily briefing Wednesday morning.


Since mid-January, the average rate of hospitalizations for "COVID-like" illnesses in that age group has dropped by 51 percent, compared to 29 percent for the under-65 age group, Chokshi said.

More than 61 percent of New York City's senior citizens have now received at least one vaccine dose, he noted.

"The vaccines are life-saving, and here in New York City, we are starting to see them have the real-world benefit that has been observed in Israel, the United Kingdom and elsewhere," he said.

"But we should not mistake progress for victory. This virus has shown us time and again just how deadly it can be" he added. "We have to keep that in the front of our minds even as we follow the science on the safety of vaccines."

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