New York’s weekly tally of COVID-19 cases leaped 21% last week while the omicron BA.5 subvariant wave disproportionately impacted those refusing to get vaccinated and boosted against the illness.
New York reported 52,949 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Sunday, up from 43,641 cases the prior week.
New York ranked 16th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.
Nationally, COVID-19 cases increased 29% from the week before, with 947,862 cases reported. Across the country, 42 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
The rise of the highly contagious BA.5 subvariant in New York and across the country in recent weeks prompted federal officials on Friday to urge eligible Americans to stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, citing upticks in hospitalizations and deaths.
Those 50 and older who were fully vaccinated and had just one booster shot were four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who had the recommended two boosters, officials said.
“We are at a point in the pandemic where most COVID-19 deaths are preventable,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator. “Vaccines remain our single most important tool to protect people against serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths, and staying up to date is essential as we see BA.5 rise across the country.”
In New York, people ages 5 and above are eligible for an initial booster dose several months after completing their initial vaccine series, while those ages 50 and above may get a second booster at least four months after getting the initial booster.
Yet the initial booster rates in New York remain below 48% for ages 54 and younger, with the uptake hovering around 30% for those under 35.
While the initial booster rates for older people across the country have been high, only 34% of those over 65 have gotten the fourth jab, which leaves those most vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness at risk, federal officials noted.
Meanwhile, the BA.5 subvariant has spread upward from New York City through the Hudson Valley in recent weeks. A total of 10 counties, including Westchester, Rockland and Putnam, now fall into the high risk category due to COVID-19 infection rates and strain on local hospitals, according to federal guidelines.
State and federal health officials urged people to wear masks indoors in public spaces in all counties within the high-risk category, regardless of vaccination status, to help curb the virus’ spread. A total of 17 other counties in New York spanning across the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley and Southern Tier are in the medium risk category.
In New York, 135 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 101 people were reported dead.
How COVID is spreading in NY
- In the latest week, Westchester County saw its COVID-19 cases rise 8%, reporting 2,512 cases and seven deaths.
- Rockland County’s cases leaped 12%, reporting 714 cases and two deaths.
- Putnam County’s cases declined 9%, reporting 184 cases and zero deaths.
- Orange County’s cases fell 12%, reporting 948 cases and two deaths.
- Dutchess County’s cases increased 6%, reporting 524 cases and one death.
- Upstate, Monroe County’s cases jumped 29%, reporting 689 cases and 11 deaths.
- Oneida County’s cases spiked 20%, reporting 184 cases and one death.
- Broome County’s cases held flat, reporting 179 cases and zero deaths.
Within New York, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in:
- Staten Island with 442 cases per 100,000 per week.
- Queens County with 422
- Manhattan with 391.
The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Weekly case counts rose in 54 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Kings, Queens and Bronx counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Across New York, cases fell in seven counties, with the best declines in:
- Orange County, with 948 cases from 1,076 a week earlier.
- Ulster County, with 216 cases from 266.
- Putnam County, with 184 cases from 202.
A total of 5,721,594 people in New York have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 69,934 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 89,542,107 people have tested positive and 1,023,799 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
New York’s COVID-19 hospital admissions rising
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, July 17. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 3,891
- The week before that: 3,726
- Four weeks ago: 3,184
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 73,328
- The week before that: 67,692
- Four weeks ago: 57,602
Hospitals in 36 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 27 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 40 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
Adrianna Rodriguez of USA TODAY contributed to this report
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
