Mayor Eric Adams returns to in-person events after COVID bout as city leaders expect cases to climb
NEW YORK -- COVID-19 cases tied to the contagious BA.2 subvariant are expected to continue to rise after holiday get-togethers.
So does that mean a return to some mandates?
As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, the city of Philadelphia reinstated its indoor mask mandate on Monday.
Right now, New York City's alert level is at "low," but last week the Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan warned it would likely rise this week to "medium." So far, it hasn't changed, but Mayor Eric Adams said he's meeting with health officials to see if any mandates need to be put back in place.
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Adams is out of COVID isolation and resuming in-person news conferences. On Monday, at a joint conference with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg on an unrelated topic he was asked about rising COVID numbers in the city.
"We are advising New Yorkers to wear a mask, but we're not at the point of mandate right now," Adams said.
But with numbers expected to continue to climb after weekend holiday gatherings, he was pressed on when he might make a decision on possibly reinstating a mask mandate.
"After meeting with my health team, we're going to make a determination," Adams said. "COVID is unashamed about trying to disrupt our lives and we cannot be ashamed to pivot and shift where our needs are."
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The daily average number of cases for the last seven days is up to more than 2,000 and increasing. It was over 1,800 last week.
But those numbers could actually be higher because many people are testing at home but not reporting the results.
"Many more people are using rapid tests than are using PCR tests. That's certainly the case among patients that I have," said Dr. Edward Telzak, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Saint Barnabus Hospital in the Bronx.
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The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that only 7 percent of positive COVID-19 cases are being detected, meaning rates are actually more than 14 times higher.
As of earlier this month in New York state, PCR and antigen tests were used to calculate new daily cases per 100,000 people, but only PCR tests are used to calculate percent positivity.
"Many zip codes are now approaching 10 percent and so, you know, 1 out of 10 people getting a test that's positive, that means there's a fair amount of virus circulating in the community," Telzak said.
Hospitalization rates right now are considered stable.
"People that will require hospitalization are those who are not vaccinated," Telzak said.
Gainer found many people heading out to get tests on Monday.
"Especially with numbers going up, better to be safe than sorry," Mary Drace-Laske of the Bronx told CBS2's John Dias.
"I'm getting a COVID test because I was exposed Friday night," another person said.
"We didn't take up the invitation to go to Passover Seder and we just went outside for the egg hunt," added Glenn Levine of the Upper West Side.
Doctors say if you were at a gathering and don't know other people's vaccinations status or testing status, get tested yourself, especially if you have symptoms.
They urge those who haven't yet done so to get vaccinated.
