New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing for adults in the city over the age of 75 to have priority for vaccination against Covid-19, amid worsening housing trends this age group.
The requirements for vaccination are finally approved by state officials. The state currently has a five-phase priority vaccination plan. The first two phases give priority to health workers and patients in long-term care centers and other key workers. Adults over the age of 65 are subject to phase 3 of the plan.
The mayor has said he hopes to begin pre-enrollment of seniors at some of the vaccination centers available in the city.
New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi explained that over the past 30 days, 6% of all cases are over 75, but 30% of hospitalizations and 58% of deaths are 75 years or older. The percentage of positivity also increases in this category.
“I think New Yorkers 75 and older should be eligible for the vaccine as soon as possible,” Chokshi said, adding that “several states have already prioritized older adults.”
Overall, New York City reported an additional 3,845 cases in an average of 7 days, which de Blasio said was “too high.” The city also recorded a “big jump” in patients admitted to hospitals on suspicion of Covid-19, with the mayor scoring 279 in Wednesday’s report.
De Blasio said he hoped the impact of the holiday season would wear off in the coming weeks, which would lead to an improvement in Covid-19 numbers.
New York City was the U.S. epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, with hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of patients.
After an easier summer, the city is experiencing a growing number of infections and new restrictions have been imposed.