As the new COVID-19 variant becomes more prevalent, state and local leaders are stressing that residents shouldn’t panic.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday that the highly transmissible omicron variant, BA-2, was detected in 42% of positive cases across the state, but it does not appear to cause severe symptoms, and vaccination still offers strong protection against it.
County Executive Adam Bello and Public Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza said in a statement Wednesday that that the BA-2 variant has caused the recent uptick in local cases.
On Wednesday, the county reported 219 new cases. Officials said this is the second day in a row that cases have been above 200, and they expect the upward trend to continue, followed by a possible increase in hospitalizations.
The number of local cases is far below that of even two months ago, when thousands of new cases were frequently reported daily.
Still, Bello and Mendoza encouraged individuals who are at higher risk to wear N95 or KN95 masks when in public spaces, practice social distancing whenever possible, and stay home and get tested if you’re sick.
Both state and local leaders said getting vaccinated and boosted are the most effective way to prevent serious infection.
