COVID Omicron NYC update: Most visits to city-run hospitals suspended, CityMD temporarily closes 19 locations in mid-test rise

In the midst of the increase in cases, most visits to the 11 city-run hospitals have been suspended as of Wednesday. The few who receive a visit must have a vaccination certificate or show a negative PCR test taken within 24 hours.

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The move comes after “a recent outbreak in one of our hospitals that we believe is related to one of our visitors,” said Health + Hospital President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz.

Exceptions will be made, Katz said, but “for a short time, to be able to ensure that we do not cause more disease, we must limit the number of visitors.”[ads1];

Meanwhile, just as the demand for COVID testing is increasing amid an increase in cases driven by the omicron variant, CityMD has announced that it is temporarily closing 19 clinics in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island.

The company says that the temporary closures are taking place to preserve the ability to staff other locations, most of which are currently operating at full capacity, and hopefully avoid future closures as the COVID wave continues.

CityMD operates 150 websites in the metro area. Three of the closures are in New Jersey, two are on Long Island, one is in Westchester County and the rest are in boroughs of NYC.

A complete list is available here.

In terms of tests offered by the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday that officials are adding seven additional city test sites, bringing the total to 119.

In addition, the city distributes five mobile devices to distribute free fast home tests, the mayor said.

And the hours at test sites for health + hospitals are extended to 07.00 to 19.00

“We have been able to do that by going virtual for our outpatient care visits, so that I can then have nurses and other staff working in our clinics available in the test areas to make the testing go much faster,” said Health + Hospital President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz.

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As recently as December 13, the city had, on average, had fewer than 3,600 new cases of covid-19 each day.

But after nearly 63,500 people tested positive in just five days, the average daily number of infections had risen to 10,991 per Wednesday – an increase of 207% in one week.

The 4,328 inpatients in New York are also the highest since April, but there are 2,300 fewer than at the same time last year.

“We do not panic, we have the resources we need, it is not March 2020, it is not even December 2020, we have to keep this in context,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “Can you imagine the state of New York if people had not been vaccinated and boosted. We would have been overwhelmed by this variant, completely overwhelmed.”

Despite the “dizzying” number of cases, de Blasio said, hospitals have not been overwhelmed. From Wednesday, hospital admissions were 2.21 per 100,000.

The city continues to push for boosters as the most effective response to omicron.

On Tuesday, the mayor announced that a $ 100 incentive to be vaccinated in city-run locations is now being extended to booster shots as well.

The latest data show that people who have been vaccinated and reinforced are probably protected against the worst outcomes of omicron.

You may still have a breakthrough infection, but it will probably keep you out of the hospital.

“We made these $ 100 incentives, now we’re doing it again and saying ‘Get up right now, ahead of the holidays, right now when the omicron goes up, hit back with that booster,'” de Blasio said. “And I find that people really react to it. But you have to do it with the mandates as well.”

An announcement about what will happen at next week’s New Year’s celebration in Times Square is also imminent.

The mayor has indicated that the party will continue, but perhaps with further restrictions, for his last night in office.

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De Blasio says he will make a decision this week on any changes for Times Square on New Year’s Eve, but for now, preparations are moving forward with a traditional celebration.

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