Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers On State's Progress Combating Covid-19 - FEBRUARY 14, 2023

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing and Treatment

47 Statewide Deaths Reported from February 11 to February 13

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19 and outlined basic steps they can take to protect against the spread of viral respiratory infections that become more common in the winter season.

"I urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant and continue to use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochulsaid. "Be sure to stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take common prevention measures — like staying up to date on vaccines and practicing proper hygiene — to protect from the flu and COVID-19 and reduce the patient burden on local hospitals. The Governor reiterated these basic steps when she updated New Yorkers on the state's winter health preparedness efforts last month.

The New York State Department of Health's weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending February 4, shows influenza remaining widespread throughout the state for an eighteenth consecutive week, with a total of 310,653 positive cases across 57 counties reported to date. The report found that confirmed cases statewide dropped 19 percent to 2,374 for the week, while overall hospitalizations were down 48 percent from the previous week, at 196 hospitalizations across the state.

Additionally, there were 6 outbreaks in acute care and long-term care facilities, the report determined. There were no one influenza-associated pediatric death reported for the week, the total remaining at nine statewide.

With flu season continuing, Governor Hochul reminds all New Yorkers that it's not too late to get their annual flu vaccine. The flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both circulating, so getting vaccinated against both is the best way to stay healthy and to avoid added stress to the health care system.

The Health Department is continuing its annual public education campaign, reminding adults and parents to get both flu and COVID-19 shots for themselves and children 6 months and older. For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.

Governor Hochul also continues to urge New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. In December, the New York State Department of Health announced new guidance for bivalent COVID-19 booster doses, which are now available for eligible children down to 6 months of age.

The updated boosters are the first to be targeted to the original virus strain and recently circulating variants and are recommended for young New Yorkers and all those eligible. To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Cases Per 100k - 9.11
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 11.48
• Test Results Reported - 28, 512
• Total Positive - 1,780
• Percent Positive - 6.05%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 4.70%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,175 (+83)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 747*
• Patients in ICU - 213 (-16)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 85 (-8)
• Total Discharges - 399,990 (+613)*
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 47*
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 61,621*

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 78,273

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:

Borough	Saturday,   February   11, 2023	Sunday,   February   12, 2023	Monday,   February   13, 2023
Bronx	3.79%	3.80%	3.71%
Kings	3.19%	3.14%	3.56%
New York	3.73%	3.74%	3.72%
Queens	4.00%	3.94%	3.86%
Richmond	4.23%	4.17%	4.16%

Texas Man Sentenced To 42 Months In Prison For Role In Scheme To Fraudulently Obtain Over $30 Million In COVID-19 Relief Loans

 

Defendant is Last of Five Participants to Be Sentenced for Participation in the Scheme

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that AMOS MUNDENDI, a/k/a “Mos,” a/k/a “El Ashile Mundi,” was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court by United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to 42 months in prison for his participation in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $30 million in Government-guaranteed loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  MUNDENDI is the last of five defendants to be sentenced in the case.  MACKENZY TOUSSAINT, APOCALYPSE BELLA, a/k/a “Dias Yumba,” BRANDON JACKSON, and ALVIN MAXWELL were previously sentenced by Judge Engelmayer.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc on economies worldwide, Amos Mundendi and his co-defendants illegally plundered funds meant to financially support struggling businesses.  All defendants in this case will now serve substantial prison time for stealing much-needed relief intended for legitimately deserving companies.”

According to allegations in the Complaints, the Indictments, the Superseding Information, and statements made during court proceedings:

TOUSSAINT, BELLA, MAXWELL, and MUNDENDI were involved in an extensive scheme to prepare and submit fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and to at least one company which processed loan applications under the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).  Over the course of the scheme, TOUSSAINT, BELLA, MAXWELL, and MUNDENDI attempted to fraudulently obtain over $30 million in Government-guaranteed loans for various companies through the PPP, designed to provide financial relief to qualifying companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The scheme resulted in over $15 million in actual loss.

The defendants’ scheme included the submission of fraudulent applications for PPP loans for several companies, including two companies (“Company‑1” and “Company-2”) both located in the Southern District of New York.  The loan proceeds for Companies-1 and -2 totaled approximately $4 million, and the fraudulent funds were distributed to a series of bank accounts located in the United States and elsewhere, including bank accounts controlled by TOUSSAINT and BELLA. 

The PPP loan applications for Company-1 and Company-2 were false, containing lies designed to maximize proceeds to the fraud scheme.  Specifically, applications for both Company-1 and Company-2 contained material differences from loan applications submitted for both companies under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program just months earlier.  For instance, the PPP loan application for Company-1 — which was submitted on June 30, 2020 — represented that Company-1 had over 100 employees.  However, an earlier EIDL loan application for Company-1 dated on or about March 30, 2020, represented that Company-1 had only four employees.

TOUSSAINT, BELLA, and MUNDENDI devised and executed the fraud scheme by conspiring with individuals who owned, operated, or otherwise were affiliated with businesses such as Company-1 and Company-2.  MAXWELL was one such individual — a business-owner who participated in the scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1.6 million for his own business.

In addition, TOUSSAINT and JACKSON engaged in a separate scheme to submit fraudulent EIDL applications, often through the use of synthetic identities (i.e., a fake name used in combination with true personal identifying information of another person).  TOUSSAINT and JACKSON used Social Security Numbers belonging to minors as part of the synthetic identities created for use in the fraud scheme.  At least approximately $1.7 million in EIDL loan funds were disbursed as a result of TOUSSAINT’s and JACKON’s EIDL loan fraud scheme.

In addition to the prison sentence, MUNDENDI, 33, of Irving, Texas, was ordered to pay $9,315,418.00 in restitution.

On October 27, 2022, BELLA, 48, of Clackamas, Oregon, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and ordered to pay $4,088,084.42 in restitution.

On November 10, 2022, TOUSSAINT, 40, of Irving, Texas, was sentenced to 90 months in prison and ordered to pay $12,402,676.92 in restitution.

On December 6, 2022, MAXWELL, 46, of Lancaster, Texas, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,696,534.63 in restitution.

On February 3, 2023, JACKSON, 35, of Farmer’s Branch, Texas, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,772,453.00 in restitution.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Small Business Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.