New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing for adults in the city over the age of 75 to be given priority for vaccination against Covid-19, amid worsening trends in this age group.
Eligibility for vaccination is finally approved by state officials. The state currently has a five-phase priority vaccination plan. The first two steps give priority to health workers and patients in long-term care institutions and other key workers. Adults over the age of 65 are under phase 3 of the plan.
The mayor said he hopes to begin pre-registering seniors at some of the city’s available vaccination centers.
New York Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi explained that in the past 30 days, 6% of all cases are over 75 and over, but 30% of hospitalizations and 58% of deaths are in people over the age of 75. years and over. The percentage of positivity increases in this category as well.
“I think New Yorkers over the age of 75 should be eligible for the vaccine as soon as possible,” Chokshi said, adding that “several states have already given priority to older adults.”
Overall, New York City reported an average of 3,845 more cases over 7 days, which de Blasio said was “far too high.” The city also saw a “big jump” in hospitalized patients suspected of having Covid-19, with the mayor scoring 279 in Wednesday’s report.
De Blasio said he hopes the impact of the holiday will disappear in the coming weeks, leading to an improvement in the number of Covid-19.
New York City was the US epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, with hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of patients.
After a lighter summer, the city is now facing an increasing number of infections and new restrictions have been imposed.