Governor Hochul declares "emergency action" because she fears that a new COVID variant is "coming soon"
On Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul spoke of the Omicron variant across the bridge in Ontario. This is not a question of whether it will appear in New York, but a question of when.
In a tweet on Monday morning, Hochul urged all New Yorkers to get vaccinated, especially those in western New York.
In response to the new variants, Hochul declared a state of emergency to trigger the use of surge and resilience systems and expand procurement capabilities.
On Friday, Hochul announced an "emergency action" to increase hospital capacity and address staff shortages before the upcoming winter COVID-19 cases may surge.
Through an executive order signed by Hochul, the Ministry of Health will be allowed to restrict non-essential, non-emergency procedures to protect hospitals or systems with limited access to critical healthcare services. Limited capacity is defined as less than 10% of personnel bed capacity, or determined by the Ministry of Health based on regional and healthcare utilization factors.
The new agreement will be implemented on Friday and will be re-evaluated based on the latest COVID-19 data on January 15.
"We have taken extraordinary actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and fight this epidemic. However, we continue to see warning signs of a peak in the coming winter, although the new Omicron variant has not yet been discovered in New York State. Here comes," Hochl said. "During the preparation process, I announced emergency measures to expand hospital capacity and help ensure that our hospital system can respond to any challenges brought about by the pandemic as we enter the winter. Vaccines remain one of our most important weapons in the fight against the pandemic. , I encourage every New Yorker to get vaccinated, and if you are fully vaccinated, get a booster."
She also ordered all nursing homes and adult care facilities in New York to provide residents with enhanced coronavirus injections.
The number of COVID reported in some areas of New York has increased significantly. The following is the updated 7-day average percentage of positive test results for each region: