COVID cases surging in New York, across country as winter approaches
NEW YORK -- With winter almost upon us, COVID-19 is making a comeback.
Ninety percent of the country is seeing a surge, and New York is fighting a so-called trifecta of viruses.
The Biden administration is so concerned it's reinstating its free testing program. Starting Thursday, Americans can order four free at-home COVID tests per households at covidtests.gov.
CBS2's Dick Brennan asked New Yorkers if they were worried about what may happen over the holidays.
"I'm not concerned, but on the train, I'll wear my mask," said Gilene Valcourt, of the Upper West Side.
When it comes to COVID, New Yorkers disagree on just how big a threat it could become.
"Most people have had it this point so ... I don't feel as concerned about it affecting me personally," Upper West Side resident Vinita Chaudhary said.
"I'm concerned about it ... 'Cause I'm in school," Jamaica resident Shanine Jones said.
FIND TESTING SITES: Click here for New York City's testing site locator, including mobile sites and at-home appointments
The numbers have shot up since Thanksgiving. New York City's seven-day average is now at more than 3,600 cases, up from about 2,500 a month ago.
"It's always something to be concerned about. It's also something that we expected would be happening right around now," said Dr. Denis Nash, professor of epidemiology at the City University of New York School of Public Health.
Nash says the big question now is how bad is it gonna be.
"There will certainly be more cases. How much does that translate into increased hospitalizations and deaths, it remains to be seen and is really a big question mark at this point," he said.
So far deaths are not rising in New York, but they are nationally.
"We obviously want to make sure that does not go any further. We know we can prevent nearly every death from COVID if people get their updated vaccines and people get treated," said Dr. Ashish Jha, White House coronavirus response coordinator.
Only 10% of New Yorkers have gotten the bivalent dose of the COVID vaccine, and with flu and RSV cases also rising, the health care system could become over-burdened.
"And all three of those things, we can mitigate the amount of transmission through some of the same approaches, such as masking and socially distancing while we're going through a surge," Nash said.
If you do get COVID, Nash says don't forget there are very effective antivirals that people can and should be accessing that can really help prevent a bad outcome, and that applies especially for the elderly.