As the omicron COVID-19 surge ebbed the final two weeks of January, New York State saw its daily case count drop by 80% and its hospitalization tally sink by almost 40%, according to data released by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office on Monday.
Less than 6% of COVID-19 test results statewide came back positive in each of the past three days, according to government figures. The state’s daily test positive rate peaked above 23% at the start of the month, when the virus was rippling through New York with vicious velocity.
Hospitalizations and deaths, which trail behind cases, have begun to take a nosedive. In the latest statewide data set, 7,191 New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the governor’s office.
The state’s death count climbed by 87 on Monday, a painful reminder of the pandemic’s ongoing toll. But the daily death tally hit an omicron-wave high of 195 on Jan. 13, and appears to be heading in a welcome direction.
Vaccinations and booster shots provide rugged protection against severe cases and deaths generated by the omicron strain, which began to torment the U.S. late in the fall.
“New Yorkers are doing the right thing — getting vaccinated and receiving their booster, wearing their masks, and staying home when they’re sick,” Hochul said in a statement. “The vaccine is safe, effective, free and readily available all over the state.”
She added in the statement that New Yorkers who have not gotten immunized should “do so immediately — it’s the best weapon we have in this fight against the pandemic.”
The Empire State recorded 5,115 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. On the first day of January, the state recorded 85,476 new cases.
This winter, the omicron strain carved a wide path through communities from Buffalo in Western New York to Bridgehampton on Long Island.
Some scientific research has raised cautious hopes that the strain may leave the population with an added level of protection against a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 800,000 Americans.
But even if it proves to offer long-run benefits, the omicron wave has come at a terrible cost. New York State’s total coronavirus death toll increased by more than 4,800 in January and has now eclipsed 66,000 overall.
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