Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating Covid-19 - JANUARY 12, 2023

 

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

38 Statewide Deaths Reported Yesterday

 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. 

"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. "Be sure to stay up to date on vaccine doses, and 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 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), 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 last month. 

Last week, the state Department of Health announced that the XBB.1.5. variant is now the most dominant strain in New York, accounting for more than 50 percent of COVID-19 infections statewide. Emerging at a time when both COVID-19 and flu cases remain high, early data indicates that XBB.1.5. is more transmissible than other circulating variants, though there is not yet clear evidence of significant changes to virulence or severity of disease. 

The state Department of Health's weekly flu surveillance report shows influenza remaining widespread throughout the state for a thirteenth consecutive week, with a total of 278,886 positive cases across all 62 counties reported to date. The report found that confirmed cases statewide dropped 41 percent, while overall hospitalizations were down 7 percent from the previous week ending on December 31 at 2,375 hospitalizations across the state.

Additionally, there were 43 outbreaks in acute care and long-term care facilities, the report determined. There was one additional pediatric death, leaving the total at six 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. Recently, 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 - 25.14
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 23.46
• Test Results Reported - 70,368
• Total Positive - 4,913
• Percent Positive - 6.44%** 
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 7.16%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 3,688 (-178)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 560
• Patients in ICU - 375 (-5)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 144 (+9)
• Total Discharges - 387,918 (+696)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 38
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 60,811 

** 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 - 77,308 

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.      

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

Borough	Monday,   January   9, 2023	Tuesday,   January   10, 2023	Wed.  January   11, 2023
Bronx	8.73%	8.27%	8.63%
Kings	5.51%	5.30%	4.84%
New York	6.71%	6.39%	6.71%
Queens	9.67%	9.24%	9.06%
Richmond	7.36%	7.19%	6.96%

Statement From NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on Mayor Adams’ FY 24 Preliminary Budget

 

City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement in response to Mayor Eric Adams’ Fiscal Year 2024 preliminary budget proposal:

“As we strive for an inclusive economic recovery, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget offers an opportunity to invest wisely in a shared and thriving future for New Yorkers. That’s why the Mayor and the Governor brought together a set of civic leaders who laid out a vision for a ‘New New York.’ Yet, rather than making investments upstream as that plan envisioned, this budget meanders with little direction.

“Last year’s record deposit into the City’s long-term reserves will buoy services in a downturn, but we do not yet have enough reserves to navigate us through a recession. Key areas remain under budgeted, including police overtime, housing vouchers, and likely increases in labor costs, which will swell already-projected out-year budget gaps. The Mayor appropriately asked agencies to find savings opportunities, yet sweeping cuts to vacant positions may come at the cost of hiring in mission-critical functions. Responsible budgeting for NYC’s future does not mean cutting services that New Yorkers rely on.

“Some of the long-term investments that we need to make that ‘New New York’ a place where people of all backgrounds and incomes can succeed will require additional revenue. Making free 3K universal, ending homelessness, improving community safety, shrinking class sizes, constructing climate-resilient infrastructure, expanding rental assistance, funding retrofits to affordable housing, sustaining world-class public libraries, and keeping CUNY an affordable pipeline for new talent is the path to making sure New York City remains the best city in the world to raise a family or start a new business.  I urge the Mayor to join us in conversation with our partners in Albany to enable the City of New York to raise the revenues we need to deliver on our shared goals for a dynamic, affordable, and successful Big Apple.

“One area where I wholeheartedly join the Mayor is in calling on the state and federal governments to take on their share of the cost for the services and shelter for newly arrived asylum seekers – something they both have failed to do thus far. This city has long been a beacon of hope for immigrant families and has prospered from their contributions, but we need state and federal aid to help them land on their feet.

“To confront both the economic uncertainty and inequality facing our city, New York City needs a budget that provides both a strong cushion to weather future blows and one that sets us up for long-term growth. My office looks forward to reviewing the preliminary budget proposal in full and sharing detailed analysis with the Administration, the City Council, and the public in the coming weeks.”

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S RESPONSE TO THE MAYOR'S BUDGET PROPOSAL

 

"A budget is a moral document, a statement of values, and as a progressive city, the capacity of government to do good should be a core value. Disinvestment in government staff and services is disinvestment in the people of New York. Cutting open positions, rather than taking steps to fill them with talented, dedicated public servants, has real, human cost in preventing programs from succeeding. 

"Financial constraints and economic concerns are real, and it is in these difficult climates when progressive budgeting is at once more challenging and most critical. In that spirit, it sends the wrong message to see some areas such as housing and mental health suffer, while others such as law enforcement are insulated. That is ultimately not a sustainable path to producing public safety, or preserving public services. 

"The mayor is right that we need state and federal support to fund services for the 40,000 newest New Yorkers – our asylum seekers. New York City should not – and cannot – be solely financially responsible for conservative governors’ political machinations. We also need to look to our state government for measures to raise additional revenue, rather than cut additional and essential services. 

"Our budget must balance fiscal and human responsibility. As the process moves forward, I will work with the administration, Council, and advocates to ensure that the needs of the people are prioritized, and the standards of our city’s progressive, human centered-values are met."

MAYOR ADAMS RELEASES PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024

 

FY24 Preliminary Budget Includes Investments in Affordable Housing, Street Cleanliness, and Public Safety

 

Budget Underscores Mayor’s Commitment to Strong Fiscal Management to Ensure Robust and Equitable Recovery

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released New York City’s balanced $102.7 billion Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). The budget reflects the mayor’s ongoing commitment to promoting an equitable recovery by making investments in affordable housing, keeping city streets clean, ensuring the safety of communities, and promoting a greener, healthier city. The Preliminary Budget also doubles down on Mayor Adams’ commitment to fiscal responsibility by spending limited city resources wisely amid the ongoing economic and fiscal challenges facing the city, state, and nation, and maintaining the city’s budget reserves at a record level of $8.3 billion.

 

“As our city continues its recovery, our administration continues to make investments in our core priorities — including public safety, affordable housing, and clean streets — while exercising strong fiscal management,” said Mayor Adams. “By asking agencies to self-fund new needs with preexisting resources, the Fiscal Year 2024 Preliminary Budget continues our strong track record of making prudent use of taxpayer dollars while continuing to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers.”

 

The Preliminary Budget was crafted in response to slowing economic growth, which impacts revenue, and fiscal uncertainties.

 

The city’s revenue forecast was updated to reflect an additional $1.7 billion in FY23 and $738 million in FY24. The windfall increase in FY23 is driven by continued momentum from the record Wall Street activity in 2021, though the city expects that continued slowing growth in the economy will lead to slowing growth in tax revenue over the financial plan.

 

At the same time, the city faces budget pressure related to the costs of meeting its legal obligation to shelter approximately 40,000 asylum seekers that have moved through the intake system since last spring, which is currently estimated to cost at least $1 billion in FY23 alone, the need to fund billions of dollars in upcoming labor contract settlements over the financial plan, growing annual health care expenses, and waning federal stimulus funds that sunset in Fiscal Year 2025.

 

In response to the perfect storm of slowing revenue growth and rising costs, Mayor Adams continued the strong fiscal management he has practiced over the course of his administration by remaining focused on savings, maintaining high levels of reserves, and controlling spending.

 

Total savings achieved by the administration over the November Financial Plan Update and the Preliminary Budget is more than $3 billion over Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. Nearly all the savings in the Preliminary Budget were driven by the administration’s 50 percent Vacancy Reduction Initiative citywide, which reduced vacancies by more than 4,300 across the financial plan and contributed savings of $181 million in FY23 and $350 million in FY24. About 23,000 vacancies remain open citywide, leaving agencies ample room to hire for critical positions.

 

The Preliminary Budget maintains a record level $8.3 billion in reserves. This includes $1.6 billion in the General Reserve, $250 million in the Capital Stabilization Reserve, $4.5 billion in the Retiree Health Benefits Trust fund, and $1.9 billion in the Rainy-Day Fund. Agency new needs in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) and FY24 are funded with savings or existing agency resources. By exercising fiscal discipline, the administration was able to ensure FY23 remained balanced. A combination of savings and FY23 revenue was applied to balance FY24. Gaps are now $3.2 billion in FY25, $5.0 billion in FY26, and $6.5 billion in FY27.

 

INVESTING IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING

 

In his first year in office, Mayor Adams has made affordable housing a key priority of his administration. In June of last year, he unveiled “Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness”, a comprehensive plan to tackle the city’s housing crisis. The budget invests an additional $20 million in FY24 to advance the goals of the plan, including funding to assist low-income prospective homeowners with down payments and expand enforcement against tenant harassment.

 

The administration is also committed to expediting the creation of affordable housing to address the severe housing shortage throughout the city. In December, Mayor Adams announced “Get Stuff Built,” which aims to build 500,000 new homes over the next decade. To meet these goals, the administration is allocating an additional $2.8 million in new funding in FY24 to streamline the building and land use process across several city agencies. This is anticipated to cut months off the current process for certain affordable housing projects and accelerate the production of new homes.

 

ADVANCING EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE

 

Ensuring all students in our city are given the opportunity to succeed has been at the forefront of Mayor Adams’ vision for a more equitable New York. In his first year in office, Mayor Adams introduced universal dyslexia screenings in all New York City public schools, expanded job opportunities for youth over the summer to serve up to 100,000 young people, provided enriching summer academic opportunities for more K-8 students through the Summer Rising program, increased the city’s commitment to the Fair Futures program to help youth aging out of the foster care system, and deepened financial support for foster students in any New York City college or university through the ‘College Choice’ program.

 

Last year, to protect schools that had lost enrollment from the impacts of funding reductions, Mayor Adams provided additional support to help provide a glidepath for schools adjusting to lower enrollment, with $160 million allocated for FY23, and $80 million for FY24. This temporary support was on top of the administration’s commitment to keeping every school at 100 percent of Fair Student Funding. Mayor Adams today announced that the administration added an additional $80 million to that funding pool for FY24. This keeps the total at $160 million for another academic year. Additionally, Mayor Adams previously announced, in the November Financial Plan Update for FY23, that schools would be held harmless for mid-year enrollment changes.

 

PROMOTING A SAFER, CLEANER, AND GREENER CITY FOR ALL

 

Mayor Adams has made clear that an equitable recovery depends on making the city safer, cleaner, and more sustainable. The Preliminary Budget includes investments to build on the progress the administration made in its first year, targeting resources to the communities that need them most. All new expense investments in the Preliminary Budget are paid for with savings or self-funded by agencies. FY24 investments include:

• DOB will develop, adopt, standardize, and implement a citywide building code ($2.6 million);
• Expansion of the Neighborhood Rat Reduction Initiative into Harlem ($1.8 million); and
• Hiring of chief decarbonization officers across multiple agencies to elevate and streamline greenhouse gas emission reductions in agency operations. ($1.62 million).

FY24 capital investments include:

• Accelerating projects to meet carbon reduction targets set forward in Local Law 97 ($259 million);
• Funding high-priority street reconstruction projects related to Vision Zero, the Streets Plan, and more ($228 million);
• Transforming the Willets Point community and creating jobs as part of a public-private partnership that builds 2,500 affordable homes and creates a soccer stadium, 40,000 square feet of public open space, and a hotel ($153 million);
• Reconstructing and upgrading the Riverside Park Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and plaza ($62.3 million);
• Installing new locks and security measures in New York City Department of Education school facilities to make them safer for students and staff ($47.5 million);
• Doubling signal installation to 200 annually and making related upgrades ($77 million); and
• Making repairs and upgrades to marine infrastructure in Staten Island and Manhattan, including piers and barges ($46 million).

Attorney General James Takes Action to Stop Gun Distributors from Illegally Shipping Ghost Gun Parts into New York

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James today filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against ten national gun distributors, demanding that they immediately stop selling and shipping illegal unfinished and/or unserialized frames and receivers, or “ghost gun” parts, to New York consumers. Attorney General James is asking a federal court to order these businesses to immediately stop selling, shipping, distributing, or supplying unfinished frames or receivers to any person or entity with a New York address. Today’s action builds on the lawsuit that Attorney General James filed against these companies in June 2022 and is part of the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) ongoing efforts to stop the flow of illegal and dangerous ghost guns into New York.

“Companies that sell ghost gun parts and kits present a clear danger to all New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “These deadly weapons are unregistered, untraceable, and do not require any background check to purchase, which means they can easily end up in dangerous hands. Once again, we are taking action to stop the flow of ghost guns into New York and to protect our communities from gun violence.”

Attorney General James is seeking a preliminary injunction against ten national gun distributors that were named in her lawsuit filed in June 2022 that unlawfully sold tens of thousands of unfinished frames and receivers to New Yorkers violating several laws, including New York’s licensing laws, by selling weapons to felons and others without a background check. Between May and June of 2022, six of the ten Defendants — Arm or Ally, LLC, Brownells Inc., Salvo Technologies, Inc. (a/k/a 80 P Builder or 80P Freedom Co.), Indie Guns, LLC, Rainier Arms, LLC, and Rock Slide USA, LLC — were caught shipping one or more unfinished frames or receivers to undercover investigators in New York, and several defendants advertised ghost gun components for sale and shipped their products to individuals who went on to commit crimes involving ghost guns in New York State. 

This case is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and Attorney General James asserts that these businesses sell these unfinished firearms with the understanding that their customers will convert them into working weapons and have even offered instructions on how to do so. They routinely sell their products inside a “jig,” a plastic structure that guides the user’s tools through the simple steps required to finish the frame. By Defendant 80 Percent Arms’ own admission, the jigs “make it ridiculously easy for a non-machinist to finish their [handgun frame] in under 1 hour with no drill press required.” This process is designed to work around federal gun serialization, recordkeeping, and background check requirements. Once turned into a working firearm, these illegal weapons have been used to commit crimes and harm New Yorkers.

Four Gun Traffickers Charged with Selling Over 50 Firearms in Brooklyn

 

Defendants Allegedly Distributed Semi-Automatic Handguns, Untraceable “Ghost Guns” and Guns with Defaced Serial Numbers; Defendant Also Charged with Trafficking Fentanyl

Prosecution Is First In New York To Publicly Charge the Gun Trafficking Provisions of The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

A seven-count indictment was unsealed charging David Mccann, Tajhai Jones, Raymond Minaya, and Calvin Tabron with allegedly conspiring to illegally traffic more than 50 firearms.  Mccann and Minaya are also charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; Mccann is additionally charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.  Mccann, Jones, Minaya, and Tabron were arrested.  Mccann and Minaya are scheduled to be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl. Jones and Tabron will be arraigned in Virginia.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Frank A. Tarentino, III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division announced the charges.

“As alleged, the defendants are responsible for attempting to flood the streets of Brooklyn with over 50 deadly weapons, including ghost guns, as well as narcotics, feeding the cycles of gun violence and drug abuse,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “As the first prosecution utilizing new federal legislation in New York, and one of the first in the country, these arrests demonstrate this Office’s commitment to utilize all tools available to more effectively stop gun traffickers from endangering our community.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino said: “This groundbreaking legislation is intended to address the sobering reality of the link between guns and drugs; the two biggest public safety threats in New York.  DEA New York and our law enforcement partners are aggressively taking every step to protect communities from gun violence and drug trafficking in order to save lives. I commend the NYPD, ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York on their diligent efforts and collaboration throughout this investigation.” 

“This case, initiated in direct response to complaints from the New Yorkers we serve, underscores some disturbing truths,” stated NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell.  “First, that illegal guns proliferate and circulate in many neighborhoods that still need our help. And second, that every day the women and men of the New York City Police Department perform incredibly dangerous work to prevent these firearms from getting into criminals’ hands.  I commend and thank the NYPD undercover officer who so successfully worked this long-term investigation, all of the detectives with our Violent Crimes Squad, and our invaluable partners at the ATF, the DEA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their critical work in helping to get these guns – and these gun traffickers – off our streets.”

As alleged in the indictment and court documents, the defendants engaged in multiple transactions involving the sale of at least 50 illegal firearms in Brooklyn between January 2022 and August 2022.  The defendants sold these firearms in broad daylight from vehicles in and around New York City Housing Authority’s Breukelen Houses, which are located across the street from a church and blocks away from a preschool and grade school in Canarsie, Brooklyn.  The defendants would often carry the guns they trafficked in whatever they could find, including gloves and shopping bags.

Two members of the gun-trafficking operation obtained the firearms in Virginia and then transported them to New York to be sold on the streets of Brooklyn.  Some of the firearms had defaced serial numbers or were made from ghost gun kits, making them harder for law enforcement to trace.  Two defendants also engaged in significant narcotics trafficking conspiracies, including a fentanyl distribution conspiracy that introduced thousands of lethal doses of fentanyl into our community. 

The defendants sold the guns and drugs to an undercover officer who recorded many of the transactions.  The undercover officer told the defendants that he was a drug dealer who needed guns and that he was also going to resell some of the guns that were provided to him.  Despite this knowledge, the conspirators continued to sell large quantities of drugs and guns to the undercover officer without hesitation.

Firearms sold in the conspiracy have also been linked to several shootings in Brooklyn.  For example, on June 22, 2022, Minaya sold an undercover officer a Glock 30, .45 caliber handgun.  The investigation revealed that this gun was used in an August 16, 2021 shooting in Bedford-Stuyvesant, during which armed perpetrators shot into a large crowd gathered for a family day celebration.  In total, eight individuals were struck by gunfire.  Another gun trafficked by the conspirators—a Glock 43, 9-millimeter caliber handgun—is linked to a December 18, 2021 shooting of an individual in Canarsie, in the blocks surrounding the Breukelen Houses complex.  That individual sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his body, including his right hand, shoulder, neck, and the base of his skull.

When agents arrested Minaya in Brooklyn this morning, he was in illegal possession of two handguns, including one with an extended magazine.  The defendant threw one of the guns out a window in an attempt to hide it; both guns were recovered.

This prosecution is the first in New York, and among the first in the country, to charge the gun trafficking provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress and the President enacted in June 2022.  The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target gun trafficking.  Among other provisions, it creates a standalone firearm trafficking conspiracy offense, which the government has charged in this case to hold accountable those who conspire to illegally sell firearms.  The Act provides for sentences of up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.