Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - FEBRUARY 17, 2023

 

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

19 Statewide Deaths Reported on February 16

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating 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 this winter," Governor Hochul said. "Stay up to date on vaccine doses and be sure to 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 health preparedness efforts this winter.

The New York State Department of Health's weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending February 11 shows influenza remaining geographically widespread throughout the state for a nineteenth consecutive week, with a total of 313,261 positive cases across 57 counties reported to date. The report found that confirmed cases statewide increased 10 percent to 2,612 for the week, while overall hospitalizations were down 36 percent from the previous week, at 134 hospitalizations across the state.

Additionally, there were two outbreaks in acute care and long-term care facilities, the report determined. There was one influenza-associated pediatric death reported for the week, for a total of 10 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 – 10.97
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k – 10.61
• Test Results Reported – 47,151
• Total Positive – 2,144
• Percent Positive - 4.24%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive – 4.28%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,107 (-72)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 304
• Patients in ICU – 232 (+10)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 95 (+4)
• Total Discharges - 401,009 (+353)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 19
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 61,674

** 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 - 78,401

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.

• Total vaccine doses administered – 43,780,996
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours – 5,337
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days – 33,568
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series – 85.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) – 90.7%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older who are up to date – 15.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series – 74.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) – 76.2%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 who are up to date – 6.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed vaccine series – 40.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed vaccine series (CDC) – 40.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 who are up to date – 3.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 with completed vaccine series – 7.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 who are up to date – 7.6%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series – 76.4%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 80.8%
• Percent of all New Yorkers who are up to date - 13.8%

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

Borough	Tuesday,   February   14, 2023	Wed.   February   15, 2023	Thursday,   February   16, 2023
Bronx	3.60%	3.42%	3.35%
Kings	3.21%	3.17%	2.84%
New York	3.80%	3.72%	3.65%
Queens	3.78%	3.73%	3.51%
Richmond	3.96%	3.65%	3.46%

 

MAYOR ADAMS MAKES MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN MAYOR'S OFFICE OF MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

 

Mayor Appoints Michael Garner as Chief Business Diversity Officer of Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises

 

 Signs Executive Order 26 to Eliminate Bias and Underutilization of Some Ethnic and Gender M/WBE Groups

 

Builds on Administration’s Newest OneNYC Goals to Increase Overall M/WBE Utilization Across Citywide Procurement Announced in State of the City

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today reaffirmed his commitment to the Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise community by appointing Michael Garner as chief business diversity officer of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE). In this role, Garner will support and elevate New York City’s M/WBEs by making the city a more equitable and inclusive business environment — a top priority of the Adams administration. Additionally, Mayor Adams today signed Executive Order 26, to help address the “disparity within the disparity” in the award of city procurement dollars to M/WBEs. Although studies demonstrate that M/WBEs are underutilized in city contracting, certain ethnic and gender groups of M/WBEs remain more disproportionately underutilized than others. Executive Order 26 focuses on increasing participation by Black American, Hispanic American, and Native-American M/WBEs and Asian-American WBEs — all groups that have been persistently and negatively impacted by procurement inequities.

 

“This administration has placed economic equity front and center as the city emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and recovers economically,” said Mayor Adams. “By signing Executive Order 26 to increase the number of underrepresented ethnic groups awarded city contracts and appointing Michael Garner as chief business diversity officer of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises, we are reaffirming our administration’s commitment to expanding opportunities for our minority and women-owned business owners. These support systems will build equity, boost our recovery, and create new opportunities for M/WBEs citywide. This is how we ‘Get Stuff Done’ and fight inequality right here in our own city.”

 

“I am thrilled to welcome Michael Garner to this administration as the chief business diversity officer. Michael has a proven track-record of breaking through bureaucratic hurdles to ensure M/WBE contractors are given a seat at the table and, more importantly, are awarded contracts,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “With Michael’s appointment and the accompanying executive order, this administration is demonstrating that it is laser-focused on creating an equitable business environment.”

 

“Our minority and women-owned businesses are the backbone of our city, and they deserve a champion worthy of their crucial role in our economic recovery. Michael Garner is that champion,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “I’m very excited for Michael to join this administration, help guide and grow our M/WBE program, and advance the policies laid out in this executive order — zeroing in on increasing opportunities at every agency and tackling disparities within our M/WBE program.”

 

“I am both honored and excited to have been selected by Mayor Eric Adams as New York City’s first citywide chief business diversity officer,” said Citywide Chief Business Diversity Officer Michael J. Garner. “As this administration builds on the recent successes of the M/WBE program, we look forward to making New York City an even more inclusive and equitable economic ecosystem for all of our businesses, including the ones that have historically been under-represented in our city’s procurement environment. We know that a disparity remains, not only between non-M/WBEs and M/WBEs, but also among certain ethnic and gender categories within our pool of diverse New York City-certified businesses. I commend Mayor Adams for taking bold action to systematically address these disparities, and I plan to leverage my 30 years of building successful M/WBE programs across multiple organizations in support of our shared vision. A vision that is rooted in ensuring that New York’s economic recovery is an inclusive one, and in building the best M/WBE program in the Fortune 500 capital of the world.”

 

“The Adams administration has put Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises front-and-center in our economic recovery,” said New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “As the city’s first-ever chief business diversity officer, Michael’s vast experience and outstanding record of delivering for the people of New York will set our local businesses up to thrive. SBS is excited to get to work with Michael and all our city agency partners to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for our M/WBE community.”

 

“We hold steadfast to our city’s commitment to create a more inclusive and fair contracting environment for Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises,” said Mayor’s Office of Contact Services Director Lisa Flores. “As we continue the important work of reforming the procurement process, we keep M/WBEs at the forefront of our vision to ensure our policies promote success. It’s no secret that I, along with my colleagues, believe M/WBEs are more than just the goods and services they provide — they represent New Yorkers and communities across the five boroughs. Our new chief business diversity officer, Michael Garner, has the experience and drive needed to prioritize the wellbeing of these businesses to ensure a bright future for all.” 

 

Mayor Adams also announced that mayoral agencies are directed to, whenever practicable, seek to award contracts for goods, services, and construction of up to $1 million to M/WBEs through a non-competitive method. By increasing the threshold limit of this directive from $500,000 to $1 million, the city has taken steps to ensure that M/WBEs will be able to more effectively compete for larger contracts, expanding their opportunities to work with the city. In Fiscal Year 2022, the city awarded $112 million in contracts to M/WBEs using the non-competitive methods — up from $75 million Fiscal Year 2019. That award amount is expected to rise dramatically in the upcoming years.

 

Through Executive Order 26:

• City agencies will be directed to use the non-competitive method to procure goods, services, and construction for amounts not exceeding $1 million, whenever practicable.
• City agencies will be directed to limit the initial pool of solicited vendors for goods, services, and construction for amounts not exceeding $500,000 to Black American M/WBEs, Hispanic American M/WBEs, Native American M/WBEs, and/or Asian American WBEs, whenever practicable.
• The chief business diversity officer, in consultation with MOCS and the New York City Department of Small Business Services, shall periodically review agency procurement data provided by MOCS and relevant research to (a) determine any changes in the ethnic or gender categories of M/WBEs to be classified as underutilized, (b) to identify meaningful progress towards addressing overall disparities in procurement across the city, and (c) to make any necessary adjustments to city policies based on such review.

The Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises was created to address historic disparities in city contracting and provide minority and women entrepreneurs increased opportunities to do business with New York City. The office is responsible for developing policy, enhancing coordination among city agencies, and providing oversight and accountability of the city’s M/WBE program.

 

“Michael Garner has developed an esteemed career during his tenure with the MTA, NYCHA and his community service throughout New York City,” said U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat. “I commend Mayor Adams on this most recent appointment tapping Mr. Garner as the chief business diversity officer of the Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE), and I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the Adams administration to ensure the inclusion and support of the Minority-and Women-Owned Business Enterprise community throughout our city.”

 

“New York’s rich diversity should be reflected in our economy, yet women and people of color remain underrepresented in who our city does business with,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “Michael Garner brings a wealth of experience and relationships to breaking down barriers to doing business with the city for firms led by people of color and women, and I look forward to working with him in this new role. Together with the Adams administration, we are committed to expanding opportunities through city procurement and applaud the raising of the threshold for Noncompetitive Small Purchases.”

Governor Hochul Announces Expansion of Statewide Program to Help High-skilled Immigrants Find Jobs

 

$4.38 Million in Grant Funding Will Support Professional Training and Job Placements for High-Skilled Immigrants in New York

Expansion of Professional Pathways for High-Skilled Immigrants Program Builds on Governor Hochul's Commitment to Strengthening Workforce Development Programming for Immigrants

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the expansion of the New York State Professional Pathways for High-Skilled Immigrants Program to help new Americans find jobs that match their skills and experience. As part of the program's expansion, a total of $4.38 million in state-funded grants will be awarded to community-based providers to support professional training and job placement efforts for an increased number of high-skilled immigrants in New York. The grants will be awarded over three years and are administered by the New York State Office for New Americans. The expansion of the Professional Pathways program builds on Governor Hochul'scommitment to strengthening the state's workforce development programming for immigrants, which was first highlighted in the 2022 State of the State.

"For generations, the hard work and determination of immigrants who have come to New York to build a better life for themselves and their families has shaped our state into what it is today," Governor Hochul said. "By expanding the Professional Pathways for High-Skilled Immigrants program, we're strengthening our support for new Americans in our state and connecting immigrants with the tools they need to enter the workforce and pursue the New York Dream."

First launched in 2021, the NYS Professional Pathways program helps high-skilled immigrants overcome barriers to professional development by screening, training and/or re-credentialing candidates and identifying job placement opportunities for low-income immigrants in high-need regions across the state. The program is tailored specifically for fields that are currently in need of highly skilled workers in New York State, including architecture, engineering, information technology, education, social work, economics, business management and journalism.

The Professional Pathways program has already brought great success to many immigrants in New York State in its first year. As of January 31, 2023, according to the Professional Pathways Lead Agency Upwardly Global, 282 job seekers were accepted into the program and received U.S. job readiness training and coaching, and 88 job seekers had been placed in professional-level positions, with placements ongoing. Participants for this program must be work authorized in the United States.

Under these new, expanded grants administered by the Office for New Americans (ONA), Upwardly Global will be funded to continue serving as the Professional Pathways Lead Agency, providing program direction and statewide technical assistance to a network of ONA Job Coaches. In addition, other not-for-profit organizations will be funded to serve as ONA Job Coach agencies in different regions of the state, with Long Island added as a new region under this program expansion.

The Professional Pathways partners are as follows:

• Statewide Lead Agency: Upwardly Global
• ONA Job Coach - Brooklyn/Queens: Upwardly Global
• ONA Job Coach - Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island: Upwardly Global
• ONA Job Coach - Capital Region: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
• ONA Job Coach - Central NY: InterFaith Works
• ONA Job Coach - Long Island: Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN)
• ONA Job Coach - Mohawk Valley: The Center
• ONA Job Coach - Western NY: International Institute of Buffalo

More information about the Professional Pathways program and how to apply is available here.

New York State Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez said, "In New York, we recognize the importance of immigrants and everything they contribute to our state and country. Still, too many new Americans face countless obstacles that make it harder to build better lives for themselves and their families. Through the expansion of the Office for New Americans' Professional Pathways program, we are empowering and uplifting New York's immigrants and giving them the skills and resources they need to succeed and thrive in today's job market."

The New York State Office for New Americans, founded in 2012, is the nation's first statutorily created immigrant services office. ONA assists all new Americans with accessing and navigating a variety of free services and support through its statewide network of community-based providers.

For any immigrant in need of assistance, or to connect with ONA's programs, call the New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636 9:00am to 8:00pm, Monday through Friday. All calls are confidential. Assistance is available in over 200 languages. For more information, visit https://dos.ny.gov/office-new-americans or follow ONA on Twitter at @NYSNewAmericans or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYSNewAmericans.

Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on Tentative Labor Agreement Reached Between City and District Council 37

 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement on the tentative labor agreement announced today by City Hall and District Council 37: 

“Today’s agreement between the City of New York and District Council 37 brings welcome clarity about future labor costs as we enter budget season. My office looks forward to analyzing the implications of today’s agreement for the City’s budget as well as efforts to retain and hire staff in critical positions. 

“We are pleased to see that the agreement includes a path forward to expand remote and flexible work options for employees, as well as targeted salary adjustments for hard-to-recruit positions, both recommendations included in our office’s “Title Vacant” report in December on filling critical workforce vacancies in City government. 

“The majority of employees in the Comptroller’s Office have been successfully working on a hybrid schedule (three days a week in-person) for the past year, and we recently finalized new hybrid work policies in consultation with staff and union representatives. As agencies work to adjust to new hybrid work norms and set out thoughtful policies to advance both employee morale and efficient government service, we remain eager to work collaboratively to help City government work better.”