WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
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Bronx Politics and Community events
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
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"Long Island beaches are a crucial resource for New Yorkers in summer, and we must make sure people feel safe when visiting," State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. "With assistance from New York State Police, we are expanding our measures to patrol for sharks and other potentially dangerous marine animals. I encourage all New Yorkers to familiarize themselves with the steps they can take to stay safe while enjoying a day at the beach."
State Parks and State Police will take the following actions:
A lifeguard at Jones Beach State Park reported a potential interaction with a shark while in the water near Central Mall at approximately 11 a.m. on Monday. An investigation into the nature of the interaction is ongoing. Additional shark sightings have been reported at Jones Beach in the past week, including a sighting today.
State Parks continues to follow its shark alert protocols. Under these guidelines, swimming is suspended while the shoreline is inspected by drone. Swimming is only allowed to resume at least an hour after the last sighting. All sightings, including today’s incident, are referred to the Long Island Coastal Awareness Group, which consists of 160 municipalities, agencies and private beach operators stretching from Queens through Long Island. State Parks created this alert system in 2018 after shark interactions off Fire Island. State Park lifeguards are continuously scanning and patrolling the waters and are on the lookout for any dangerous marine life, such as sharks.
To minimize the risk of shark interactions, the state Department of Environmental Conservation advises the following shark safety tips:
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual parks, historic sites, recreational trails and boat launches, which were visited by a record 78 million people in 2020. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit parks.ny.gov, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. The free New York State Parks Explorer mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices. To download, visit: Google Play Store, NY State Parks Explorer App or Apple Store, NY State Parks Explorer App
"New Yorkers beat back COVID before -- going from the highest positivity rate on the globe to one of the lowest -- by staying smart, following the science, and having each other's backs, and that's exactly what we'll keep doing in this next phase of the pandemic. We are reviewing the CDC's new recommendations closely in consultation with federal and state health experts."
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos and State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for the area of New York City Metro for Tuesday, July 27, 2021.
The pollutant of concern is: Fine Particulate Matter
The advisory will be in effect through 11:00 p.m.
DEC and DOH issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value leading to a greater health concern.
FINE PARTICULATE MATTER
Fine particulate matter consists of tiny solid particles or liquid droplets in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter. PM 2.5 can be made of many different types of particles and often come from processes that involve combustion (e.g. vehicle exhaust, power plants, and fires) and from chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
Exposure can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. People with heart or breathing problems, and children and the elderly may be particularly sensitive to PM 2.5.
When outdoor levels are elevated, going indoors may reduce exposure. If there are significant indoor sources of PM 2.5 (tobacco, candle or incense smoke, or fumes from cooking) levels inside may not be lower than outside. Some ways to reduce exposure are to minimize outdoor and indoor sources and avoid strenuous activities in areas where fine particle concentrations are high.
New Yorkers also are urged to take the following energy?saving and pollution-reducing steps:
Additional information on ozone and PM 2.5 is available on DEC's website and https://www.health.ny.gov/
The Tuesday, July 27, Air Quality Health Advisory region consists of Region 2 New York City Metro, which includes New York City, Westchester, and Rockland counties.
Effort Builds on State's Current Robust Genome/Variant Surveillance Efforts
Data Generated to Help Support Discoveries to Inform Public Health Intervention
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the selection of five laboratories to bolster state efforts in identifying COVID-19 variants. The New York State Department of Health is partnering with these laboratories to expand the genetic sequencing of specimens positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The selected laboratories have sequencing expertise and experience, as well as capacity and access to SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens from large multi-county areas in New York State, outside of New York City.
"New York is once again leading the way by using every tool at our disposal to beat this virus and expanding monitoring for these emerging variants will help us remain ahead of the pandemic as more New Yorkers become fully vaccinated," Governor Cuomo said. "You can do your part to help contain the spread by getting vaccinated in order to protect yourself and those around you."
As part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases Enhancing Detection Expansion supplement, the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center received approval to use $20 million to establish a sequencing partnership with external laboratories.
The five laboratories are:
New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, "The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of whole genome sequencing in identifying variants of concern that are continuously monitored by the Wadsworth Center as an integral part of our public health response. We are pleased to announce this new partnership that will expand this surveillance ability statewide and assist in ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response efforts. Again, we encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated, as that is the best way to avoid serious illness."
This effort aims to greatly expand genetic sequencing on SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens derived from the general population of New York State outside of New York City, thus building on our current robust genome/variant surveillance efforts and characterization of the transmission and spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the State. In addition to surveillance, the data generated will help build our understanding of disease manifestations, therapy or vaccine evasion and efficacy, and will support other discoveries to inform public health intervention. Sequencing results from the partner laboratories will be reported to the New York State Department of Health and the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data.
As a reminder, as stated on the Department of Health website, all COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States have proven extremely effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. The effectiveness of the FDA-approved vaccines remains strong even against newer strains, including against variants of concern such as the Delta variant identified in India, also known as B.1.617.2. Those who are unvaccinated have the greatest risk of becoming seriously ill, which is why the New York State Department of Health urges all eligible New Yorkers to get vaccinated as soon as they are able.