EDITOR'S NOTE:
Because of personal business we did not try to call in to Mayor de Blasio's press conference today, and see that most of the usual reporters were called on.
Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. Last night, I got another reminder of the goodness of this season in Grand Army Plaza, lighting a tree to celebrate the holidays with Bishop DiMarzio and the Diocese of Brooklyn. The tree itself is spectacular and a joyous reminder of the Christmas season and the holiday season, and why we remember in the season to be there for each. There’s also an extraordinary sculpture, which I urge everyone to go see – amazing tribute to immigrants and what they mean to this city and this nation, and a reminder of the need to welcome and respect all people. Very moving gathering last night. And it is a reminder in this time of challenge, a challenge unlike any we've seen in the history of New York City, anything we've ever seen in our lives, that the most important thing is to be there for each other, to support each other, protect each other, to have compassion for each other regardless of who we are, where we come from. And that is what New York City has done during this crisis. I'm so proud of all New Yorkers, all of you, for the way you've handled this, the way you've looked out for each other.
Look, we've been through just the toughest time, but now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And I really want to emphasize that this is the last great battle we're going to go through these next few months, this last great battle against the coronavirus, because now the vaccine is literally just days away. The vaccine will change everything, but it'll take a lot of work to make sure the vaccine gets to everyone who needs it as quickly as possible. The good news is, every step along the way we hear better and better news about the vaccine. FDA has now released its analysis, which is a very positive one. This is being reviewed now further by FDA and CDC, but the good news is we see very promising results. And I want to emphasize to all New Yorkers, we're not just leaving it to Washington. Our extraordinary Health Department, our whole health care team is constantly analyzing the data as well related to the vaccine and we like what we see. And we are working every day to perfect the rollout plan, because, as the vaccine arrives, the goal is to get it to move quickly. And our Health Department is very well poised to do that because we have an extraordinary history of ensuring that New Yorkers are vaccinated over decades and decades. Our Health Department has led the way in making sure that people get the protection they need. So, here to give you an update, a lot of new information that’ll be, I think, very helpful to understand how the vaccination efforts are going to go and why we have confidence in the vaccines that are emerging, our Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi.
Commissioner Dave Chokshi, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Well, yesterday, we truly saw a shot heard round the world, as the United Kingdom's Margaret Keenan received the world's first approved COVID vaccine. We should all be inspired by her words afterwards – if I can do it, well, so can you. Every moment like this one represents a step forward in New York City and beyond, and I want to give everyone an update on what we can expect in the days ahead. Yesterday, the FDA made public the data Pfizer provided in their emergency-use authorization application, which offers promising information about the safety and efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine. The new COVID-19 MRNA vaccines, like the Pfizer vaccine, teach ourselves how to build immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19. MRNA does not affect or interact with a person's DNA and the cell breaks down and gets rid of the MRNA as soon as it is finished using that information.
Here are a few things that we've learned about the Pfizer vaccine. First, the vaccine is moderately effective within 10 to 14 days of the first dose, which is good news. But the second dose remains very important, because the two-dose vaccine is what was tested and found to be highly effective – that's that 95 percent – at preventing COVID-19. Second, the Pfizer vaccine worked across adult age groups, ethnicities, and people with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure who participated in the trials. Third, there were side effects, but they were mild to moderate. They were more common after the second dose and they generally lasted one to two days. The most common side effects included pain at the injection site, fatigue, and headache. We will continue to update New Yorkers about this so that they know what to expect with a vaccination.
Now, over the next several weeks, there will be a lot of movement with the vaccine rollout. Tomorrow, an independent FDA advisory committee is scheduled to discuss authorization. The FDA could issue an emergency-use authorization as soon as Saturday. And, if so, on Sunday, a CDC advisory committee will also meet and vote on clinical guidance to accompany the vaccine rollout. If all goes according to plan, the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine would arrive in New York City as soon as next Tuesday on December 15th. Next week, a similar process will unfold for the Moderna vaccine, which could arrive a week or two after the Pfizer vaccine. Preparations are already underway to vaccinate our health care workers who are at the highest risk of exposure. We also give priority to long-term care facility staff and residents. And, in partnership with hospitals and clinicians, we are ensuring our systems are ready. We conducted a successful trial run of the entire COVID vaccine ordering process with Bronx Care from submitting the order all the way to the facility confirming receipt of the test package.
As we move forward with the COVID-19 vaccine and the coming weeks, we will keep New Yorkers informed. We will post vaccine information as we have it on the Health Department website at nyc.gov/covidvaccine. The vaccine is one step to protect New Yorkers, especially the health care heroes who have been tireless in keeping our friends, neighbors, and family members alive. I remember joining rounds with the teams on the Elmhurst COVID wards back in March and in the Bellevue ICU's in April as well. And it gives me hope that those extraordinarily dedicated colleagues will soon receive the vaccine. This remarkable scientific breakthrough also reminds me of the every-day miracle of vaccination and the protection it gives us against illnesses like the flu. As you wait for the COVID vaccine, it's not too late to protect yourself and your family against influenza. Get your flu shot today. Thank you.
Mayor: Thank you so much, Dr. Chokshi. And thank you for reminding us of the heroism of our health care workers and the fact that you were there at the frontline in some of the places that were bearing the brunt, you understand very personally what extraordinary work our health care heroes did and how important it is to protect them, going forward. And, of course, then to protect all New Yorkers. The vaccine’s coming. As you can hear, our Health Department's ready. And these next weeks are going to be a challenge because of the rise in cases we're seeing, but they're also going to be inspiring, because we're going to see the fight back get even deeper against the coronavirus as more and more people get vaccinated. And, as you heard, even the first dose has a very important impact. So, there's really important news, good news here about how we fight back.
But now, let's talk about what we have to do even beyond the vaccine and what New Yorkers overwhelmingly have been doing, wearing the masks, practicing social distancing, avoiding gatherings, not holding those indoor gatherings, not traveling. We're going to keep talking about this throughout, but it's also important to talk about what allows you to be safe, the rules, the laws that protect you. Because, look, we're saying to people, if you're sick, don't go to work. If you're sick, protect yourself and others. Get the help you need. If you need the help of our Test and Trace Corps. and our Take Care Initiative, it's there for you for free. We want to support people, but we also want people to know, if you are sick, you should not have to fear for your job. You would not have – should not have to worry about whether your job's still going to be there or whether you can make ends meet. This is why in 2014, we passed the paid sick leave law, to protect the most fundamental rights of New Yorkers – to say, if you're sick, or a member of your family is sick, getting well really matters. We have to be there for you and support you. It can't be a choice between your health and your job, your health and your livelihood. We made that decision in 2014, that’s something I'm very proud of. One of the things we did that has a lasting impact for the city. We didn't know that there'd be a pandemic, but paid sick leave has taken on even greater meaning because of the pandemic. And I really want to thank everyone at our Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, who took the paid sick leave law and brought it to life and continue to make sure that people's rights are acknowledged. But this takes on other greater meaning in the middle of a pandemic. Here to tell you about this effort to protect people's rights and make sure that their health care truly comes first, my great pleasure to introduce our Commissioner for Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Lorelei Salas.
Commissioner Lorelei Salas, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection: Thank you for making the time today to remind New Yorkers about such a saving benefit. Paid sick leave law saves lives. In fact, not only did you, under your leadership – did we get this great benefit for workers, but it was also extended several times to make it one of the most broad laws in the country, protecting workers. And, as recent as earlier this year, the State and federal governments finally recognize how critical this law is in fighting COVID. They passed their own protections. So, thank you to everyone. And we're all in this together, as the Mayor mentioned. We all need to fight this virus together.
A couple of things about the paid sick law. In New York City, the law gives you 40 hours of sick leave in addition to the State and federal leave laws. That means that you first need to use the State and federal laws if you have COVID, if you are having ordered to quarantine. You don't not do not need to use any other days. Now, the sick days under New York City are on top of that leave, and that is a very important reminder for New Yorkers. Now, we have been fighting to collect wages for workers, schools who were denied the sick leave, but it is much more important than collecting money. It is much more important that this benefit be actually available for workers. That is what we're looking for. We're seeking full compliance with this particular law. And we are here for you, we have investigators and attorneys who look into this law. We also have staff who are conducting a lot of outreach to businesses to make sure our small business owners understand their obligations under the law. Very important to notice – to know that under the City, the State, and the federal laws workers are protected against retaliation and the law is available to all workers, regardless of immigration status.
Most employers are doing the right thing, Mayor, but, recently, we had a couple of situations where workers were fired because they were sick and they tried to take, you know, enforce their rights. My office fought back. Those workers are back in their jobs with the same salary, the same hours that they had before and with the lost wages for those days where they lost what they were illegally fired. So, we have your back if you need to call us if you have questions or if you need to file complaints. But I want to mention just a couple of changes in our New York City law, as a result of some recent amendments in the State law. Very important to know that workers no longer have to wait in order to enjoy this benefit. So, new hires no longer have to wait. There used to be a waiting period before, but, again, because of COVID-19, that waiting period has gone away and you start accruing leave the moment you are hired.
Another thing is that domestic workers are now treated the same as workers in any other industry. Domestic workers have the right to at least 40 hours of sick leave a year. It's, again, important to remind New Yorkers that the New York City law is very broad in its coverage. You can use it to take the flu shot. You will be able to use it to take your vaccine against COVID. You can use that to take care of yourself or your loved ones. You can also use it in situations in which the schools, the public schools are closed, and you need to take care of your kids, because there's a state of emergency, or even if your employer was ordered to shut down and you have leave that you have available to you. We have some changes again – and, as of January 1st, employers that are bigger, that have a 100 employees or more will be able – will have to give employees up to 56 hours of sick leave.
So. again, this is a law that we are prioritizing. My office takes it very seriously. We need to – you know, this is not about workers versus employers. It's about all of us being in this together in order to have a full recovery. We want to make sure that the law is being complied with. Call us with questions, with complaints. We have information on our website in many different languages. We are hosting a lot of round tables right now with the chambers of commerce and with worker organizations. You can call us at 3-1-1 and say paid safe and sick leave. Or, you can visit our website at nyc.gov/workers. And I just want to wish everyone the safest and healthiest holiday season.
Mayor: Thank you so much. Thank you, Commissioner Salas. Thank you to you and your entire team, doing extraordinary work, protecting the rights of working people and consumers in this city. So, thank you for that great work. And, everyone, look, it's as simple as this. If you are sick, stay home. That is the best thing for you, your family, your city. We will protect your rights. If you're sick, stay home. If your child's sick, don't send your child to school. This is how we protect everyone. Look, if you're an employer – and I want to give credit, the vast majority of employers in this city have really shown a lot of compassion for their workers, and I thank you for that deeply. But listen, every employer needs to follow the rules, follow the law to protect working people. So, everyone, this is how we get through this together, recognizing the humanity in each of us and really respecting each person in the challenges they are facing. These laws are here to protect working people, to protect their families, protect their health.
Okay, let's go to today's indicators. Again, this is a new format we're using. Number one, current hospital admissions, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for a suspected COVID-19. – today's report is 196 patients. Now, again, our threshold is 200. We’re right up on that now. We’ve got to keep fighting back to get and stay under that threshold. It is so important. Again, our hospitals are doing a great job. They are using techniques and approaches that they learned from the spring that are much more effective now. So, hospitals are handling the challenges very, very well, and that's really important, but that number is still higher than we need it to be. We’ve got to push it back down. The new indicator we've added hospitalization rate per 100,000 people – 2.34 percent today. I'm sorry, 2.34 people per 100,000 today. That is still too high. We want to get under two. Number two, current new cases – now, this includes, again, the probable cases from the antigen tests as well as the confirmed cases. Today's number on a seven-day average, 2,738 – obviously, way too high. We want to get that back under 550. That's going to take time to say the least, but the vaccine is going to contribute greatly more and more in the weeks ahead to getting that number down. And number three, this is now the percentage of New York City residents tested positive on a seven-day rolling average. It's the only one we're now presenting the seven-day rolling average, the truest number – 4.81 percent today. We’ve got to be under five percent. Today, we are. We’ve got to work hard to keep pushing that number down.
