Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - FEBRUARY 10, 2023

 

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

21 Statewide Deaths Reported on February 9

 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.

"This weekend, 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 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 winter health preparedness efforts in December.

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 and infections remaining widespread, Governor Hochul encourages all New Yorkers 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 - 14.01
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 11.91
• Test Results Reported - 52,056
• Total Positive - 2,737
• Percent Positive - 4.95%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 5.04%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,176 (-60)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 337
• Patients in ICU - 257 (-7)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 95 (-7)
• Total Discharges - 398,994 (+372)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 21
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 61,545

** 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 - 78,230

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 - 43,747,428
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 6,410
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 39,562
• 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) - 90.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older who are up to date - 15.8%
• 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 - 6.2%
• 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 - 3.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 with completed vaccine series - 7.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 who are up to date - 7.5%
• 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 - 13.7%

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   7, 2023	Wed.  February   8, 2023	Thursday,   February   9, 2023
Bronx	4.91%	4.69%	4.30%
Kings	3.69%	3.94%	3.62%
New York	4.09%	3.87%	3.83%
Queens	4.54%	4.33%	4.20%
Richmond	4.30%	4.50%	4.54%

NYCHA Superintendents Sentenced To Prison For Accepting Bribes

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LEROY GIBBS was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon to 33 months in prison, and JULIO FIGUEROA was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote to 15 months in prison, for accepting bribes in exchange for awarding no-bid contracts at the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) facilities where they worked.  GIBBS also obstructed justice in the weeks before his sentencing.  GIBBS and FIGUEROA each previously pled guilty to one count of solicitation and receipt of a bribe. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Leroy Gibbs and Julio Figueroa betrayed the trust of NYCHA and harmed the residents of Douglass Houses and Ft. Independence Houses, taxpayers, and the contractors who were forced to pay them bribes in order to receive work – all so that they could line their pockets.  By accepting bribes, they put greed above their duty to the public.”

According to the Complaints, Informations, and statements made in court proceedings and filings:

In February 2020, GIBBS, who was then employed as the Resident Buildings Superintendent at Douglass Houses in New York, New York, solicited and accepted approximately $2,000 in bribes from a confidential informant (the “CI”) in exchange for awarding no-bid contracts to the CI worth a total of approximately $9,950 from NYCHA for work at that NYCHA facility.  

These were not the only bribes GIBBS solicited and received; between at least 2019 and 2022, GIBBS demanded bribes from numerous other contractors who sought to do work for NYCHA at Douglass Houses.  For example, in one text message exchange in February 2020, GIBBS wrote to a contractor, “so there isn’t anything confusion like before. What is my $ from this?  I have to ask because you guys were trying to be funny last time.”  The contractor replied, “Good evening sir[,] 50k yours 50k us.”  If contractors were too explicit about the bribery scheme in their messages to GIBBS, he admonished them; for example, when a contractor asked GIBBS, “Did [my associate] gave you 4k last week?”, GIBBS replied, “Don’t ever text something like that.  Ever are you crazy.”  GIBBS also referred to his practice of receiving a $1,000 bribe for each awarded job as his “side hustle,” and wrote that he had previously “put hands on” a contractor who had threatened to report his corruption.   

In January 2023, just weeks before he was due to be sentenced, GIBBS took several steps to obstruct justice, including by deleting text messages and obtaining a new phone number to communicate with a co-conspirator. 

Between July 2021 and August 2022, FIGUEROA, who was then employed as the Assistant Resident Buildings Superintendent at the Ft. Independence St.-Heath Ave. Houses in the Bronx, New York, solicited and accepted approximately $6,000 in bribes from the CI in exchange for awarding no-bid contracts to the CI worth a total of approximately $46,622 from NYCHA for work at that NYCHA facility.  FIGUEROA continued to solicit bribes even after learning about the arrests of nine NYCHA contractors in September 2021 for paying bribes, telling the CI that he hoped he would not be the subject of an undercover investigation and that he would probably only deal with the CI from then on because the news of the arrests scared him. 

In addition to his prison sentence, GIBBS, 58, of Bay Shore, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, including 120 hours of community service per year, and was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine, forfeit $2,000, and pay $2,000 in restitution. 

In addition to his prison sentence, FIGUEROA, 45, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $6,000 and pay $6,000 in restitution. 

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Department of Investigation, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General, and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  

CONSUMER ALERT: New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection Alerts New Yorkers About Romance Scams

 

As Valentine’s Day Approaches, Learn How to Recognize and Prevent Romance and Sextortion Scams 

Secretary Robert J. Rodriguez: “Romance scams can hurt financially and emotionally, and this Valentine’s Day, I encourage New Yorkers who are looking for love online to follow basic safety tips to protect themselves and their hard-earned money from scammers.”

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is warning New Yorkers about romance and sextortion scams and is offering information and tools to help identify and outsmart scammers who prey on people’s emotions and trust. Romance scams occur when a criminal lies about their identity and uses romantic interest to manipulate or steal from the victim. Thieves use different variations of these scams to deceive unsuspecting daters. One common variation used is sextortion, where scammers encourage victims to send intimate images of themselves then demand money to keep it a secret and threaten to expose the victim to their contacts, family, friends and colleagues if payment isn’t sent.

“In this digital age when many seek romantic connections online, it’s important to know who’s really on the other end,” said Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez, who oversees the Division of Consumer Protection. “Romance scams can hurt financially and emotionally, and this Valentine’s Day, I encourage New Yorkers who are looking for love online to follow basic safety tips to protect themselves and their hard-earned money from scammers.”

Although almost any age group can be lured into romance scams, the following groups are most frequently targeted:

• Teens (especially teen boys)
• College Students
• Men and Women over age 40
• Seniors, especially widows, widowers and recent divorcees

Common Elements of a Romance or Sextortion Scam:

• Fake Profile Pictures: Scammers create the illusion of someone you would be attracted to and trust. They seek opportunities to meet someone online and create profiles on a wide range of online platforms including social media, dating sites, messaging apps and porn sites. They often use pictures from the internet for their profile and may disguise their voice on the phone.
• Build Trust: Scammers are patient and will communicate for weeks or months until they’ve earned your trust.
• Unavailable to meet in person: Scammers may propose an in-person meeting, claiming they will travel to see you, but there will be a last-minute emergency preventing it from happening. Be suspicious of anyone who says they want to meet but then always makes excuses for why they can’t.
• Request Money: Scammers often start by requesting small amounts of money and paying it back quickly to build trust. Eventually, the scammers will request a large sum of money, usually as a loan, to be wired to them for things ranging from business investments, property, debts, illness and more. They may even ask for money for airfare so they can visit you. Once they receive the money, the scammer will often ask for more or create a new reason they need to borrow money. This will continue until the victim becomes suspicious, at which point the scammer will usually stop all contact and disappear.
• Request Explicit Images or Videos: Some online encounters end in unwanted behaviors including extortion. Scammers may request or coerce victims into sending intimate, explicit images or videos of themselves. They may even coerce victims to perform intimate acts on camera.

Tips to Avoid Romance or Sextortion Scams:

• If someone you haven’t met in person asks you for money, assume it is a scam, even if they say they need it for an emergency or traumatic life event. Never give or loan money to someone that you have not met in person.  
• Do not give out personal information to someone online, including payment and banking information, especially if you have not met them before.
• Use trusted online dating sites, but still exercise caution. Beware of online interactions that quickly ask you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
• Be cautious of people you meet online who say they are an American abroad or a deployed soldier.
• Schedule a video-chat early in the relationship to ensure they are the person they are presenting in their profile.
• Research anyone in whom you have an interest. Ask questions. Look them up online. Verify details where you can.
• Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture. If it is linked to another name or details that don’t line up, it’s likely a scam.
• Familiarize yourself with privacy settings of all your online platforms and consider limiting who has access to your personal information, contact lists and location.
• Turn off or cover your web cameras when you’re not using them.
• To thwart sextortion scams, talk to your children and teens about online safety and online luring. Many sextortion incidents occur on Instagram or Snapchat. Remind them that pictures or videos can be saved by others and used later for blackmailing. Check out additional resources for talking to children and teens on the FBI website.

New Yorkers who have fallen victim to a romance or sextortion scam should report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.  Notify the social networking site or app where you met the scammer, too.

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection serves to educate, assist and empower the State’s consumers. For more consumer protection information, call the DCP Helpline at 800-697-1220, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm or visit the DCP website at www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection. The Division can also be reached via Twitter at @NYSConsumer or Facebook at www.facebook.com/nysconsumer.

Permits Filed For 3002 Perry Avenue In Jerome Park, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a six-story residential building at 3002 Perry Avenue in Jerome Park, The Bronx. Located between Mosholu Parkway South and East 201st Street, the lot is near the Bedford Park Boulevard subway station, serviced by the B and D trains. Joel Friedman is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 60-foot-tall development will yield 13,295 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 24 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 553 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar and a 33-foot-long rear yard.

Nikolai Katz Architect is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed in April 2022 for the residential structure on the site. An estimated completion date has not been announced.