Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - MARCH 21, 2022

 

55% of Hospitalizations Admitted for Non-COVID Reason

New York State Ranks First Among Large States For Fully Vaccinated Total Population

New York State Ranks First Among Large States For Fully Vaccinated 12-17 Year Olds

6 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

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

"We are closely monitoring BA.2, and will continue to stay vigilant by making tests, vaccines and boosters widely available," Governor Kathy Hochul said. "The best way to keep the numbers down is by using the tools we know work. If you feel sick, get tested. If you test positive, talk to a doctor right away about treatments. Together we will continue to move forward safely through this pandemic."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 55,561
• Total Positive - 1,099
• Percent Positive - 1.98%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 1.92%
• Patient Hospitalization - 901 (+1)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 91
• Patients in ICU - 159 (0)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 71 (-6)
• Total Discharges - 289,454 (+103)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 6
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 55,048

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.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 69,980

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 - 37,322,036
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 7,915
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 91,277
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 91.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 83.3%
• 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) - 85.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 82.2%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 72.2%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 81.4%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 73.6%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 89.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 75.9%

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

BOROUGH	Friday, March 18, 2022	Saturday, March 19, 2022	Sunday, March 20, 2022
Bronx	0.81%	0.83%	0.84%
Kings	1.41%	1.38%	1.40%
New York	1.95%	2.03%	2.11%
Queens	1.14%	1.17%	1.20%
Richmond	1.12%	1.11%	1.19%

Attorney General James Responds to Trump’s Attempts to Overturn a Court Order Requiring Him to Testify in Civil Investigation

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement in response to the brief filed today by Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump to appeal a decision that they must all appear for sworn testimony in compliance with subpoenas from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) as part of its ongoing civil investigation into Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings:

“Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump were ordered by a judge to comply with our investigation into Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. Despite continuous efforts to impede this investigation, no one can stop our pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful they are. We will continue to follow the facts without fear or favor.”  

In February, the Honorable Arthur Engoron of the New York County State Supreme Court ruled that Donald J. Trump and his children must all appear for sworn testimony, and Donald J. Trump must produce additional documents in compliance with subpoenas from OAG. 

Third Avenue Business Improvement District - Save a Life. Business CPR Certification

 

CPR Training for Businesses Become Certified in CPR - focused on you & your staff Join Third Avenue Business Improvement District, St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction, Acacia Network, and the Office of Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, Jr. for the continuation of the Public Health Spring Program series. This series specializes in Bronx health and wellness initiatives with a specific focus on saving lives. During this training attendees will become certified in CPR and learn the proper procedures to saving a life. Program is presented in person at the Third Avenue Business Improvement District Office, 2825 Third Avenue , Bronx, NY. The program is facilitated by field experts and seeks to address public health and wellness barriers in the Bronx.

STATE COMPTROLLER DiNAPOLI STATEMENT ON SEC'S CLIMATE DISCLOSURE PROPOSAL

 

 New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following statement regarding today’s SEC proposed rule on climate disclosure.

"Today's action by the SEC will ​provide investors with the robust climate disclosures that we have long advocated for. Access to consistent, comparable, and reliable information, across the marketplace, will greatly improve the state pension fund's ability to assess and address risks and opportunities as we navigate our path to net zero by 2040.

“We are all experiencing catastrophic and deadly weather events, droughts, rising sea levels, and economic disruption due to ​climate change. It is time for US companies to step up to the plate and develop, disclose and implement low carbon transition plans. It ​is our responsibility as investors to make sure the companies we invest ​in are prepared for the future, so they can be profitable and successful in the global marketplace. To do so requires us to have the information necessary to make informed investment decisions. Today's SEC rule does just that. 

“I would like to thank Chair Gensler and the SEC staff for their work and leadership on this issue. We look forward to commenting further in the coming weeks."

Statement from NYC Comptroller Lander on Proposed SEC Climate Disclosure Rule

 

Following the announcement by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of a proposed rule to require companies to disclose climate-related financial risk on Monday, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:

“The climate crisis poses a clear risk to our economy, financial markets, and portfolios. Today’s announcement by the Securities and Exchange Commission is a strong step forward to help investors like the New York City Retirement Systems assess financial risks posed to companies by climate change.

“For too long, disclosure of climate risk information by publicly traded companies has been voluntary and without uniform standards. As a result, investors lack the information needed to evaluate the financial risks to their portfolios or potential investments posed by physical climate impacts like rising seas, floods, and wildfires, as well as policy impacts from companies and governments alike enacted to reduce emissions and exposure to climate threats.

“As a fiduciary to over 750,000 pension beneficiaries, I have a duty to consider and address the climate risks of our investments as well as the broader systemic risks that climate change creates for the global economy, as we work to navigate the transition to a low carbon economy. This proposed rule will provide shareholders with necessary decision-useful data to assess a company’s climate-related financial risk and encourage companies to evaluate the threats climate change poses to their fiscal health and sustainability.

“Thank you to SEC Chair Gary Gensler, and to the SEC Commissioners and staff for extensive consultation, research, and development of this rule. I look forward to continued dialogue with regulators, fellow institutional investors, and companies covered by the rule.

“My office plans to review the proposed rule along with the other trustees of the New York City Retirement Systems, and to submit comment to support and strengthen this rule in the coming weeks.”

Attorney General James, 1199SEIU Call for Stronger Protections for Nursing Home Workers

 

 New York Attorney General Letitia James and 1199SEIU President George Gresham today called for stronger protections for nursing home workers who have been on the front lines of the pandemic for more than two years. New York’s nursing homes were devastated by the pandemic, claiming the lives of thousands of residents and essential workers who worked throughout the crisis. In a report that her office released in January 2021, Attorney General James revealed that many nursing homes were ill-equipped and ill-prepared to deal with this crisis because of poor staffing levels and a lack of compliance with infection control protocols, which put residents and workers at increased risk of harm.

Today, Attorney General James and 1199SEIU President Gresham renewed their calls to require nursing homes to implement appropriate staff-to-resident ratios and invest sufficiently in employee wages and facility operations.

“For more than two years, these essential workers have worked around the clock to protect and provide for our most vulnerable residents,” said Attorney General James. “As the pandemic devastated our communities, it became painfully clear that our healthcare industry was ill-equipped to deal with such a crisis. Chronic understaffing, lack of infection control protocols, and poor training contributed to the tragic deaths of nursing home residents and workers alike. These essential workers laid down their lives for the rest of us, and it’s time for us to give them the support they need and deserve.”

“Nursing home residents and their caregivers are urgently waiting on full implementation of nursing home reform in New York to bring them the relief they need,” said George Gresham, president, 1199SEIU. “Every day that goes by without nursing home operators being held accountable to basic standards of care puts residents at further risk. We applaud Attorney General James for her unwavering commitment to uncovering the critical failures of the industry during this pandemic and lending her voice in support of New York’s most vulnerable people.”

“What I’ve seen is care and compassion replaced by a focus on revenue and filling beds regardless of whether we have enough staff or staff trained to care for complicated residents,” said Mary Samaroo, a Licensed Practical Nurse at a skilled nursing facility in Queens. “How you treat your staff is a reflection of how you view the residents. This employer seems to view both as a way to spend less and drive up profits. We need both the new spending and staffing laws to be implemented and enforced because too many employers won’t do it on their own.” 

Since March 2020, Attorney General James has been investigating nursing homes throughout New York state based on allegations of patient neglect and other concerning conduct that may have jeopardized the health and safety of residents and employees. Attorney General James released a report on the status of those investigations in January 2021 that revealed that nursing homes’ lack of compliance with infection control protocols put residents at increased risk of harm, and facilities that had lower pre-pandemic staffing ratings had higher COVID-19 fatality rates. The report also revealed that the New York State Department of Health undercounted the number of nursing home residents who died of COVID-19 by as much as 50 percent.

Governor Hochul Announces Applications Now Available for Fast Tracked Permits for Craft Beverage Manufacturers

 

New Permit Expedites Openings of New Breweries, Distilleries, Cideries and Meaderies

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the State Liquor Authority is now accepting applications for new permits to allow craft beverage manufacturing businesses the ability to manufacture and sell alcoholic beverages while their liquor license is pending. These new permits can generally be processed and approved in less than 30 days, compared to applications for new licenses that currently take an average of six months, expediting the time it takes to open new craft beverage manufacturing businesses throughout the state.

"New York's craft beverage industry is not only a source of local pride, but also creates jobs and drives tourism in every corner of the state," Governor Hochul said. "These fast-tracked permits will allow new businesses to hit the ground running by opening quickly and making immediate contributions to their local economies. This is another step in furthering our administration's efforts to cut red tape, ease regulations, and make commonsense reforms to help these businesses grow and thrive."

Legislation signed by Governor Hochul on December 21, 2021, created new temporary permits for breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries and meaderies, allowing them to open while awaiting the final approval, preventing accrued costs in rent and maintenance after the location and equipment have been acquired. There are currently eighty-one permit applications pending for craft manufacturers statewide. 

These permits allow businesses to manufacture and sell alcoholic beverages for a period of six months, or until the full application is approved, for a fee of just $125. The new permits may be extended for a three-month period for an additional $50 fee if necessary. The application for craft manufacturers to apply for the new temporary operating permits are available here.

State Liquor Authority Chairman Vincent Bradley said, "Governor Hochul recognizes that getting craft producers open quickly is important for both these individual businesses and for our state's entire economy. When our craft manufactures grow and thrive, they create jobs, put money back into their local economies and set the stage for future growth. New York has been a leader in the craft beverage industry, and these fast-tracked permits will no doubt help ensure this trend continues."

New York State's craft beverage industry accounted for over $5 billion in revenue in 2018, growing by 230 percent over the last decade. Despite the economic downturn, the number of craft beverage manufacturing licenses issued by the SLA grew by over 9 percent in the last year, from 1,426 active licenses to 1,559. This legislation further supports the state's growing craft beverage industry, one of the fastest growing in the nation, which now ranks in the top five in the U.S. for its number of craft beverage producers in every category. The state ranks first in the U.S. for the number of hard cider producers with 78, second in craft distillers and breweries with 205 and 504 respectively, and fourth in the country for the total number of wineries with 494. New York is also home to fourteen farm meaderies, a new permit created in 2019 for alcoholic beverages made with New York State produced honey.

Additionally, in the last year twenty-eight farm-based manufacturers have extended their footprints by opening new, no-fee, offsite retail locations across the state in the last year alone, a 17 percent increase over 2021. These branch stores, which now number 198 statewide, allow farm manufacturers to sell their own products, in addition to any other NYS labeled product by the glass or by the bottle to consumers at an offsite location. 

Former NYC Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr - +Andrew Cuomo Sets An Example Of Leadership For Democratic Party Leaders

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Former NYC Councilman

Rev. Ruben Diaz

You should know that in a room filled, to capacity, with Hispanic Ministers and in front of more than 15 Television cameras and reporters, the former Governor Andrew Cuomo, delivered one of his most fiery speeches.

 

You may know that Gov. Cuomo met with the Hispanic Clergy, making it his second public appearance after he resigned last year from the Governorship of the State of New York. The former Governor appeared before the members of The New York Hispanic Clergy Organization Inc., in the Conference Room of the Christian Community Neighborhood Church located at 1437 Longfellow Avenue in the Bronx, New York.

 

In his message former Governor Cuomo launched his missiles against Governor Kathy Hochul and the Leadership of the Democratic Party of the State of New York, pointing out their cowardly weakness and disinterest in doing what is necessary to solve the increase in Crime that has plagued the City of New York. 

 

The former Governor, by meeting with the Hispanic Clergy, showed the elected leaders of this State setting an example of what true leadership is. His visit and his fiery speech addressed the Left Wing of the Democratic Party and the “Cancel Culture” idealogues, that despite our ideological, political, and religious differences we can and must meet to work together for the betterment and the overall good of our entire society.  Governor Cuomo spoke the truth when he said that we (our society, whether people of faith or not) must “Cancel the Cancel Culture”.    He also said that the “Cancel Culture Movement” is very dangerous to a free society.

 

Many people attribute Governor Cuomo’s visit to the Bronx, to meet with the Hispanic Ministers, not as a courtesy or profound kind gesture, but as a political stunt given that we have great ideological perspectives. However, as a pastor and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we must acknowledge the exemplary work he did for the people of the Bronx and Puerto Rico. We appreciate his taking the time to visit with us. 

 

As Christians we believe that "God works in mysterious ways". He (God) allows us to go through adversity. In life we find ourselves confronted with difficult situations, Persecutions, Publicly Criticized, and Socially Ostracized. Then, that same God that passed us through difficult times, and allowed us to fall, raises us and restores us, giving us new life, with a clear vision and with lessons learned. Then ironically those that were once the persecutors become the persecuted.  

 

The perfect example for this is found in the Holy Scriptures. Saul of Tarsus was a highly educated man, a zealot for the Law of God. Saul was a man filled with wisdom, most respected by all, and powerful in position.  He took great pride in his persecution of Christians until the Lord himself put him through adversity. In the process he is transformed. He has a new vision. Saul becomes the Great Apostle Paul. He is known as the Apostle for the Gentiles, he authored most of the New Testament writings, and the Epistles. Now with his new profound vision he is no longer the persecutor, but the persecuted. He is despised, rejected by his friends, and colleagues, and viewed as a pariah in society. But he did what was right and just.

 

I also take all the negativity that Gov. Cuomo’s visit may have brought some people, especially those in the press, and I look at it through a spiritual lens because I believe that God is always in Control.  

 

Therefore, I end this with Don Quixote’s Profound words when he said to Sancho “Leave it to God Sancho…. for all will be well, and perhaps better than you think; no leaf on the tree stirs but by God’s will.”  Therefore, to God be all the Glory and all the honor!!!!

 

I Am Rev. Ruben Diaz, and this is What You Should Know.