Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - OCTOBER 7, 2022

 

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

16 Statewide Deaths Reported Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.     

"I urge New Yorkers to remain vigilant and to use all available tools to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities, from COVID-19," Governor Hochul said. "Stay up to date on your vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Governor Hochul continues to urge New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for anyone age 12 or older and from Moderna for those 18 or older. 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.

Governor Hochul reminds all New Yorkers to get their annual flu vaccination, as influenza is already considered widespread across the state. Since September, cases have been increasing, with 596 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza for the week ending Oct. 1. As influenza and COVID-19 circulate simultaneously, those eligible should also get a COVID booster.

For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit Vaccines.gov/find-vaccines.  

Today's data is summarized briefly below:    

• Cases Per 100k - 21.25
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 20.06
• Test Results Reported - 62,761
• Total Positive - 4,152
• Percent Positive - 6.30%**    
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 6.74%**       
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,433 (+8)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 437
• Patients in ICU - 226 (-3)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 84 (-2)
• Total Discharges - 348,196 (+383)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 16   
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 58,250

 

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 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 (HHS) 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 - 74,391

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 - 40,266,899
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 5,373
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 28,964
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 93.4% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 84.8% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 88.9% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 85.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 75.3% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 83.5% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 75.5% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 92.6% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 79.1% 

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,   October   4, 2022	Wednesday,   October   5, 2022	Thursday,   October   6, 2022
Bronx	5.69%	5.65%	5.22%
Kings	4.55%	4.46%	4.23%
New York	5.45%	5.27%	4.91%
Queens	6.12%	6.08%	5.74%
Richmond	8.26%	8.36%	8.27%

Attorney General James Stops School Bus Company from Polluting in New York City Communities

 

Hoyt Transportation Allegedly Exceeded Limits on Vehicle Idling, Leading to Air Pollution in Communities of Color

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a settlement with Hoyt Transportation, Inc. (Hoyt Transportation), a Bronx-based school bus company, ending its alleged practice of excessive idling at bus yards. Excessive vehicle idling causes air pollution, endangering the health and wellness of neighboring communities. As part of the settlement announced today, Hoyt Transportation will implement an extensive anti-idling training program for drivers, engage an idling manager to monitor idling behavior, and pay at least $38,850 in penalties. Funds secured from the settlement will be used to support projects to fight pollution and improve air quality in overburdened communities in New York City.

“Vehicle idling can lead to increased air pollution, which poses a serious threat to New Yorkers’ health and safety,” said Attorney General James. “School bus companies like Hoyt Transportation must do their part to protect our communities by addressing excessive idling. In our continued efforts to combat air pollution and environmental injustice, my office will always ensure companies like Hoyt Transportation honor their responsibilities to the communities they serve.”

Hoyt Transportation operates a fleet of more than 300 school buses out of four bus depots in the Bronx, all located in or near low-income communities or communities of color. Using data provided by Geotab, the fleet management system that the Department of Education (DOE) has installed on all New York City school buses, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that the company had repeatedly and persistently exceeded city and state idling limits at its bus yards and other locations across the city. New York state law, with certain specific exceptions, prohibits idling for more than five minutes, and New York City law prohibits idling for more than three minutes, or one minute when adjacent to a K-12 school.

Geotab data obtained by OAG show that between October 13 and December 20, 2019, one bus idled over two hours on 13 separate occasions (a total of 4986 minutes of idling) at the Hoyt Transportation bus yard located at 1271 Randall Avenue in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. This same bus also idled 83 other times at the same yard, with an average of 16 minutes each time. The data also indicate a different bus idled 51 times at the Randall Avenue depot in December 2019, averaging 25 minutes each time. Three of these instances were also over two hours in duration.

Tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks, and buses are one of the leading sources of air pollution in New York state due to the release of smog-forming pollutants, soot, and greenhouse gases. Idling is a significant source of these emissions, with an estimated 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide emitted in New York City alone each year. New York City suffers roughly 1,400 premature deaths every year — the highest death toll in the Northeast — and pays billions in health costs due to significant pollution from the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that operate in the city.

Emissions from diesel-powered, heavy-duty vehicles like buses are particularly harmful to surrounding communities because they emit fine particulate matter that has been linked to numerous problems including asthma, cancer, heart disease, and other serious health impacts. Vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with respiratory ailments are particularly impacted. The health impacts of soot and air pollution exposure are disproportionately felt in low-income communities and communities of color in New York City. These communities have the highest truck and traffic volume and are often home to industrial facilities and bus yards located in close proximity to residential neighborhoods. The children in the high poverty areas of Central Brooklyn, the South Bronx, and Upper Manhattan are three times more likely than children in other areas of the city to be diagnosed with asthma.  

In addition to the minimum $38,850 in penalties, Hoyt Transportation will pay another $66,000 if the company does not enter into an agreement to purchase an all-electric, zero-emission school bus by May 2025.

Today’s settlement continues Attorney General James’ efforts to ensure that school bus companies do not illegally idle and pollute the air. In May 2022, the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against three New York City bus companies for causing significant air pollution in communities of color by violating city and state bus idling laws. In April 2022, she reached an agreement with Reliant Transportation, the now-defunct owner and operator of 838 school buses, following an investigation that revealed the company's unlawful idling practices.

“It has been well documented the direct effect air pollution has on communities of color in the South Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “To learn that despite decades of enforcement, education, and awareness campaigns holding businesses accountable for compromising the health and safety of nearby residents already burdened by high rates of asthma, Hoyt Transportation is exceeding state-mandated idling limits set at 5 minutes for heavy-duty vehicles, including non-diesel and diesel trucks and buses with a gross vehicle weight of more than 8,500 pounds. Their actions have worked to further pollute communities across the Bronx — many still reeling from the effects of COVD-19 and other health disparities. I want to thank Attorney General Letitia James and her team for her advocacy and for holding Hoyt Transportation accountable.”

Governor Hochul Announces 27 Municipalities Selected to Participate in Clean Water Infrastructure Asset Management Program

 Second Phase of State's Asset Management Program Helps Municipalities Protect and Improve Local Wastewater Treatment Systems

Services Provided at No Out-of-Pocket Costs to Participating Municipalities

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced 27 municipalities have been selected to participate in a program that will help develop asset management programs to evaluate, monitor, protect, and responsibly plan upgrades for wastewater infrastructure facilities. The program supports ongoing efforts to ensure the responsible stewardship of New York's nation-leading investments in clean water infrastructure to protect public health and the environment and support local economies.

"The State's Asset Management Program advances resources and expertise to help municipal leaders establish robust programs to maintain and upgrade essential wastewater infrastructure systems," Governor Hochul said. "My administration is committed to helping local communities across the state protect wastewater systems that are often a municipality's single-most valuable asset. By evaluating flood resilience needs, these local asset management programs will help our communities mitigate the effects of climate change and better prepare for the future."

Asset management is a process that municipalities use to manage infrastructure investments. It includes procedures to inventory, assess, and track infrastructure throughout its life cycle. These procedures improve resiliency, longevity, budgeting, and proper operation of critical infrastructure, while supporting municipal planning and reducing costs over the long term. The program builds upon a successful $3 million pilot completed in 2021 and administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC). The pilot program helped 10 local governments across the state inventory their wastewater assets, identify risks to their wastewater infrastructure, and determine cost-effective, tangible solutions to address those risks.

The second phase of the State's Asset Management Program announced today will continue New York State's proactive approach to managing wastewater treatment by providing engineering consultant planning services, software management systems, and technical training to local governments. Consulting services will assist municipalities in identifying weaknesses in their current systems to promote repairs before a system failure occurs. The ability to minimize costly emergency repairs and prevent service disruptions will help protect public health and the environment.

Funding for the program totals $10 million that was made available through the Clean Water Infrastructure Act and is administered by EFC in partnership with DEC, which has regulatory oversight of wastewater facilities. EFC contracted with Arcadis of New York, Inc., to serve as program advisor, and 10 additional engineering firms to build local knowledge and capacity across New York State. DEC selected 27 municipalities across the State to participate in the program:

Capital Region:

1. Albany County
2. Village of Athens
3. Town of East Greenbush
4. City of Glens Falls

Central New York

1. City of Auburn
2. Village of Marcellus
3. Village of Skaneateles

Finger Lakes

1. Village of Arcade
2. Village of Le Roy
3. Village of Lima
4. Livingston County

Long Island

1. Village of Hempstead
2. Suffolk County

Mid-Hudson

1. Village of Rhinebeck
2. Town of Ulster
3. City of Newburgh

Mohawk Valley

1. City of Gloversville
2. City of Johnstown
3. City of Little Falls

New York City

1. New York City

North Country

1. Town of AuSable
2. Village of Philadelphia
3. Village of Sackets Harbor

Southern Tier

1. Village of Bath
2. Village of Endicott

Western New York

1. Erie County
2. Village of Sherman

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner and Environmental Facilities Corporation Board Chair Basil Seggos said, "The Asset Management Program is a proven method to help local officials identify necessary projects to improve the reliability of their sewer systems and reduce potential risks to public health and the environment. With the continued support of Governor Hochul and in collaboration with our partners at EFC, DEC looks forward to building upon the prior success of this beneficial program with an additional 27 municipalities representing 30 wastewater systems."

For more information on the Asset Management Program, go to dec.ny.gov/chemical/101412.html.

New York State remains a national leader in water quality investments. The 2023 Enacted Budget builds upon New York State's commitments by including more than half a billion dollars in direct investment into clean water initiatives, including $500 million in clean water infrastructure funding, bringing the State's total clean water investment to $4.5 billion since 2017; $400 million - a record level of funding - for the Environmental Protection Fund to support critical projects that work to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve agricultural resources, protect water sources, advance conservation efforts and provide recreational opportunities; and $4.2 billion for the landmark Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. If approved by voters this fall, this historic initiative will provide the support New York State needs to protect and improve water resources, restore critical environmental habitats, reduce flood risks, conserve additional lands and open spaces, and invest in climate change mitigation projects that will reduce pollution and lower carbon emissions.