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Covid 19

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Medical healthcare holding COVID-19 , Coronavirus swab collection kit, wearing PPE protective suit mask gloves, test tube for taking OP NP patient specimen sample,PCR DNA testing protocol process

In an effort to expand access to testing, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced the opening of three new community based testing sites. Rapid Antigen COVID-19 tests, which will be administered by Baseline Health and Reef Technologies, will be on a first come, first served basis.

The first testing site at Hecksher State Park will open on Wednesday, December 29th, the second testing site at Red Creek Park, which was formerly located at Francis S. Gabreski Airport, will open on Monday, January 3rd, and the third testing site located at Cathedral Pines County Park will open on Tuesday, January 4th.

“What we have learned so far is that the Omicron variant is highly transmittable and causing a spike in our daily positivity rate,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “Testing is one of the best tools we have when it comes to containing the spread of this virus. As we approach the New Year, these three new sites will provide quick and convenient results for our residents so that they can protect themselves and their loved ones.”

Rapid Testing sites include:

Hecksher State Park, Field 8 (Opening on Wednesday, December 29th)

1 Heckscher State Parkway

East Islip

Open every Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Testing Capacity: Up 1,000 tests a day

 

Red Creek Park (Opening Monday, January 3rd)

102 Old Riverhead Rd

Hampton Bays

Open for school-required testing and community testing

Open on Mondays only from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Testing Capacity: Up to 500 tests per day

 

Cathedral Pines County Park (Opening on Tuesday, January 4th)

116 Yaphank Middle Island Rd

Middle Island

Open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Testing Capacity: Up to 500 tests per day

 

Residents with any questions can contact Suffolk311.

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Stock photo

The Greek letter versions of the variants are beating up on Suffolk County, just as families prepare to gather during the holidays and New Year.

Suffolk County reported a 13.6% positive testing rate on Dec. 20, which is the highest rate in over a year, according to County Executive Steve Bellone (D).

“The omicron variant is, without question, powering a surge in cases here,” Bellone said on a conference call with reporters. “We are seeing that play out in long lines for testing as the holiday season continues and as Christmas and New Year’s approach.”

Indeed, Bellone announced that he is using his emergency powers to create three new testing sites on Long Island. The county will open a site at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach on Dec. 27, in West Sayville on Dec. 27, and in the Sound Beach area on Jan. 4.

Bellone said he chose these sites near locations where the positivity rate is higher.

Bellone encourages residents to visit the county’s website, at suffolkcountyny.gov/covid19 to get details about signing up for tests at these new locations.

As for holiday preparations, Bellone and Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, suggested residents could continue with their holiday gathering plans as long as they take adequate precautions.

“It’s important to be vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna,” Pigott said. “It’s more important to get that third shot, that booster shot, that’ll give you the maximum protection.”

Infectious disease experts urged residents to remain vigilant about the virus during the current surge and as people prepare to visit families.

“I would suggest making sure that everyone test for COVID and receive a negative test result” before family gatherings, Sean Clouston, associate professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, explained in an email. “This is especially true for those in which there are individuals who are either unvaccinated, or those where attendees either are vaccinated but aged 60 and older.” Hospitals in the area have seen a dramatic increase in emergency room visits from residents who contracted COVID.

“The number of COVID hospitalizations has tripled in the last three weeks,” Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital/Northwell Health, wrote in an email.

Popp explained that patients who have been vaccinated have a milder form of COVID, while unvaccinated patients have suffered more severe symptoms. About two thirds of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated at Huntington Hospital, while several patients are in the intensive care unit.

With the increase in omicron cases, Popp explained that “we are all concerned that we may be overwhelmed if too many sick patients will show up all at once in the emergency room.”

To be sure, even with the increase in hospitalizations from the fall, the number of people batting the disease in the hospital remains well below peak levels. As of a year ago, 526 people battled COVID in the hospital. This week, that number stood at 326.

“The numbers are increasing, but they are still less than they were,” Bellone said.

Dr. Sunil Dhuper, chief medical officer at Port Jefferson’s St. Charles Hospital, suggested a three-pronged approach to defending against the next phase in the spread of COVID.

Getting vaccines and boosters is the first and most important step. Treating vulnerable residents with monoclonal antibodies is the second, and testing and wearing masks is the third step.

GlaxoSmithKline’s monoclonal treatment, called sotrovimab, works the best against omicron, Dhuper said.

At this point, the supply of that treatment, however, is limited. Dhuper hopes to get the supply issue resolved this Monday.

Until that is resolved, however, only people who are unvaccinated and who are vaccinated and immunocompromised or over 65 are eligible for this treatment, which is what the National Institutes of Health and Department of Health have recommended, Dhuper said.

The shortage of monoclonal antibodies is “an issue that needs to be addressed at the state and federal levels,” Bellone said. “I’m encouraged by what we’ve seen happening there. It’s an issue that we’ve heard from hospitals. With this surge, we’re seeing all of the capacity tested once again.”

Indeed, hospitals remain prepared to increase their staffing levels, particularly in January when people return from traveling and visiting family members.

“Everybody is aware that we may call upon any employee at any time, even if they are on vacation if we begin to see that the system is getting overwhelmed,” Dhuper said.

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Photo from Stony Brook Medicine

WHAT: 

Livestream Event – Post-COVID: In it for the long haul

According to the CDC, most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks, though some experience long-term effects. Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience weeks after first being infected. This Tuesday, December 21, experts from Stony Brook Medicine’s Post-COVID clinic, the first of its kind on Long Island, will discuss these long-term effects and approaches to care.

Stony Brook’s post-COVID facility opened in November of 2020 at Stony Brook Medicine’s Advanced Specialty Care in Commack to provide ongoing care and assessment of adult patients who are recovering from COVID-19. The clinic provides care for patients who are still experiencing symptoms as well as monitors patients for any late effects of COVID-19 infection. Patients have access to specialists in primary care, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, nephrology, vascular and neurology as well as to mental health providers.

For more information visit, https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/advancedspecialtycare/post_COVID_clinic

WHEN:

Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 4:45 PM EST

The livestream event can be seen on:

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/298909540164955/posts/4578401205549079/

Or

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vqCloqgKGg

MODERATOR:

  • Sritha Rajupet, MD, MPH, Director, Population-Based Health Initiatives, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine and Primary Care Lead, Post-COVID Clinic, Stony Brook Medicine

EXPERTS:

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METRO photo

It’s no surprise that face mask use is mandated once again when visiting or working in a store or venue in the state of New York. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said earlier this year if the COVID-19 infection rate kept climbing, the mandatory health protocol would be needed again.

Until Jan. 15, 2022, when the state will reassess, unless an establishment has a vaccine requirement, a mask must be worn by everyone 2 years old and up. The governor announced the statewide mandate that began Monday, Dec. 13, during a press conference last Friday. In addition, businesses that do not comply can face fines up
to $1,000.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, the state’s infection rate last Saturday reflected a 51% jump over 14 days. With more than a 7% seven-day infection rate in Suffolk County, Hochul’s new mandate seems more than appropriate for our communities.

While some people still have been wearing masks either because they aren’t vaccinated or as an extra precaution, many have not since former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) lifted the initial mask mandate in the state.

The news can be frustrating for those who are vaccinated and even received the booster shot. However, Americans have known since the virus first reached our shores that it would take a while to figure out how to lessen transmission, especially since a virus can mutate. With no practice 100% effective — and some people resisting not only wearing masks but getting the vaccine — the virus has continued infecting people and new variants have developed, such as Delta and Omicron. While medical researchers are still trying to understand the virus, why not take extra precautions? Even if they are not guaranteed to stop transmission, they can lessen the chances of spreading the virus.

While face masks can be uncomfortable at times, the protective gear acts as a barrier to protect the wearer from droplets released in the air when someone coughs or sneezes. It also traps the wearer’s respiratory droplets. If someone is sick and they are wearing a mask, they are less likely to give someone else the virus.

When Cuomo issued mandatory business shutdowns in the early days of the pandemic, New Yorkers debated if this was the right approach. A good percentage of people thought it would be the demise of many businesses. Fortunately, many business owners were able to swim with the tide and come up with innovative solutions such as curbside service and selling merchandise on social media if they didn’t have a website.

Now more than ever, local businesses need our support as many of them cannot make it through another round of shutdowns. So, let’s mask up before stepping inside a favorite store, restaurant or theater so that we can keep these places not only open but give them a chance to thrive.

After all, this is the season of goodwill.

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METRO photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

Among the many preparations we made for our family Thanksgiving gathering this year, was carefully considering how to prevent any intrusion by COVID-19, a most unwelcome guest. The children and grandchildren were coming from six different states, so the potential exposure was widespread.

We agreed that everyone would have the appropriate vaccinations, two and a booster if possible. Each member also bought an Abbott BinaxNOW antigen self test result that they took before starting out on their trips. Everyone tested negative, so we were full steam ahead.

Thanksgiving Day was filled with hugs, laughter and love. We had not been all together in almost two years, and much conversation resulted, including how the youngest one had grown. After the traditional sumptuous dinner, we went around the table and spoke about what we were most grateful for in the past year. This is of special value to me, in addition to the lovely feelings of gratitude evoked, because it gives me a chance to catch up on their various activities.

The next day, Friday, we talked, walked, played games and ate some more. I almost didn’t register when one of my grandsons came to the dinner table a little late because he was feeling “achy.” But when he asked for an Advil the next morning, I got out the At-Home rapid test, and in 15 minutes we knew he was positive. Thinking it might be a false positive, we drove him to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was given a PCR test, the gold standard, and in four hours we had the result.

Somehow, in spite of our careful efforts, the pathogen had found us. We then went to the next step and self-quarantined, but we are still trying to figure out where the hole in our defenses lies. As nearly as we can conclude, a negative test does not check for viruses in low numbers that are just beginning their infection in the nose, for example, and are still too few to register. With no symptoms, there is no way to detect their presence. It typically takes at least three days before the alarm goes off. So even weekly testing, which is so often done by institutions and employers, is not foolproof, especially if the patient is asymptomatic.

Fortunately, because my grandson was doubly vaccinated, the illness was of short duration, although he did lose his sense of taste and smell for a bit. The rest of the family members are fine. But what does that mean for all of us? The potential for infection is there, still with us despite how much we would like to leave it behind and despite all precautions. Gatherings of almost any size carry some risk, especially when we remove our masks to eat together, and we cannot be mindless of the threat.

There may be some good news, however. Omicron, the latest variant to be identified, seems to cause a milder version of the disease, at least so the early evidence indicates. And there are now two different pills that appear to hold back the most harmful effects of the virus if taken within five days of onset. One is from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, called molnupiravir, that reduces the risk of hospitalization and death by 30%. It should be receiving FDA approval soon, even though it can cause serious side effects. The other is Paxlovid from Pfizer and so far appears to be 85% effective, perhaps to be authorized by year’s end. Made of a different formulation, it probably would not cause the same side effects as Merck’s but could cause others. Both pills could turn out to be a stop gap if the vaccines prove ineffective against new variants. And both may be more powerful if given together, as research against the virus that caused AIDS proved at that time. According to Dr. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, who oversaw combination therapy for HIV years ago, such a clinical trial could be quickly done.

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Taking a solo backpacking tour through Europe proves the scars of COVID-19 are deep

Zurich, Switzerland, along the river Limmat. Photo by Kyle Barr

This is part two of a two part series.

The Netherlands and Denmark

In Amsterdam, the classic Bulldog hostel, just one part of the company known for its pervasive marijuana products, was practically full to the brim compared to other hostels along my route. And still, people kept to their little groups, barely interacting with each other even in the spacious bar area. Rosie, a young woman I met in Amsterdam and fellow American traveler from Detroit, talked of her own lonely experiences after she left friends in Istanbul, Turkey, to travel up to Dutch country.

attendees during a pared-down August pride celebration in Amsterdam. Photo by Kyle Barr

There are ways to mitigate the loneliness. Apps like CouchSurfing have the capacity for travelers to create hangouts. It’s how I managed to meet a group of international travelers all shut together in a tiny apartment in Amsterdam’s canal district for a house party/barbecue, where alcohol and marijuana loosened enough tongues to break through the concerns of pandemic life. Though that’s easier for young people, many of whom crowded along the rain-slick streets just outside the Amsterdam Centraal train station for a slimmed down version of Pride month festivities. None were wearing masks.

There are certainly places that seem to be trying to capture more of what prepandemic life was like. In Amsterdam and Denmark, masks are only worn in places where one can’t stay 1.5 meters away from people. Of course, it’s a policy that is rarely if ever enforced, despite COVID cases peaking to a new high for the Netherlands in mid-July. Despite what Dutch officials have recently said about limiting international travelers who come to revel in the famous smoke-filled streets of the city center, the travelers there are undaunted.

Switzerland

The international travel industry grew to new heights up until just before the pandemic, but now many towns, cities and countries are starting to consider whether the general wealth that tourists bring to their homes is worth what they lose in a sense of place and community. The outdoor shopping malls of a city like Bern, Switzerland, are no longer flooded with travelers, and more locals can take the time to walk past the old town and up the hill to the Bern Rosengarten to enjoy a beer and the cool afternoon air with friends and family.

While in Switzerland I stayed with a native Swiss man named Pascal for two nights in his home, just a 20-minute train ride from Zurich. That city, so well known throughout the world as a tourist hotspot, no longer sees the crowds it once did. The surrounding mountains are trekked by locals, with more mountain goats than people. The way Pascal kindly greeted his fellows on the slopes of the Etzel mountain, located on the southern end of Lake Zurich, it seemed that a strong sense of polite community was still alive, and better exemplified away from the international crowds of a national center like Geneva or in the resort town of Zermatt, lingering under the craggy gaze of the Matterhorn.

The Gullfoss Waterfall in Iceland seen from high above. Photo by Kyle Barr

Iceland and back home

On the final leg of my trip into Iceland, I reconnected with my brother. It was the first time I met somebody I knew in seven weeks. We didn’t rent a car and were forced to take guided tours, one running down the brilliant length of the country’s south coast. The other was a tour of the Golden Circle to massive sites around the center of the country. We were the only two people in a van with our tour guide. The other people scheduled for the tour bailed last minute and, instead of canceling, the tour operator still offered us our ride. The pandemic had been hard on tour guides. They are making less than 50% what they had been doing just two years ago. Iceland’s economy, and so many other countries in Europe, relies on tourism. In 2019, over 15% of the workforce in Iceland was in the tourism industry. Many European countries accounted for close to 10% of their total gross domestic product. Some countries, like Greece, accounted for about 20% of their GDP. What will they do if travelers do not show up at the rates they once did in the years to come?

These are big questions and impossible for one person to answer. Instead, as time moves on and the memories start to congeal in my brain, I’m left with an impression: Thousands of people laying under verdigris-covered statues built in a time centuries before, the uncertainty, the questions, sitting amid millions of lives trying to be lived day-to-day, wanting to see a future in which all can take one collective breath.

And like us back in the States, we’re still wanting and we’re still waiting.

Kyle Barr is a freelancer writer and the former editor of The Port Times Record, The Village Beacon Record and The Times of Middle Country.

 

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Families opened their doors to each other during Thanksgiving, eager for a long-awaited reunion and hoping to keep out COVID-19. Stock photo

Despite the desire to relax, remove masks and go on with life, the pandemic, even prior to the emergence of a new, mutation-laden variant, has become a central concern among government and health care officials.

The stock market has felt the effects of concerns over the Omicron variant, hospitals are sending off some positive tests to check for the new variant, and the federal government is restricting travel from several countries in Africa.

While health care officials anticipate the inevitable presence of confirmed cases of Omicron in the United States and New York, they had already seen an increase in confirmed cases and had increased the need for treatment.

At St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown, the hospital provided monoclonal antibody treatment for 32 people the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, according to St. Catherine Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mickel Khlat. That is up from an average of four to five a day just a few weeks earlier.

That increase comes not only from a rise in group activities indoors, but also from a reduction in the immunity conferred by vaccines that are less effective after six months.

Six weeks ago, unvaccinated patients represented 80% of those who received monoclonal antibody treatments, said Dr. Khlat. Recently, the percentage of vaccinated people who receive antibody treatment has risen to 50%.

“If you got the vaccine six or seven or eight months ago, your immunity is waning,” said Dr. Khlat.

Dr. Gregson Pigott explained that monoclonal antibody treatment could be lifesaving.

“The key is to seek treatment soon after a COVID diagnosis,” Dr. Pigott explained in an email.

The percentage of positive tests in Suffolk County has been rising at a rapid pace, mirroring the positive tests for the nation. The percentage of positive tests on a seven-day average reported on Tuesday, Nov. 29, was 5.3%. That is up from a seven-day average of 3.7% just two weeks earlier and 2.4% a month earlier, according to data from the Suffolk County Department of Health.

Dr. Susan Donelan, medical director of the Healthcare Epidemiology Department at Stony Brook Medicine, explained that this is likely a result of variable acceptance of vaccination opportunities, inconsistent or poor mask usage compliance, increased indoor activity, initiation of indoor heating and general pandemic fatigue.

At the same time, hospitals on Long Island and around the state are preparing and monitoring for the potential arrival of the Omicron variant, which the World Health Organization recently deemed a variant of concern in part because of the number of mutations to the spike protein. These mutations could alter the dynamic in the Stéphane Bancel indicated that vaccines may not be as effective against this variant.

Pigott suggested that too little is known to determine how effective the current vaccines would be against the new variant.

“We will learn more from the World Health Organization and the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] in the weeks to come,” Pigott explained in an email.

Dr. Adrian Popp, chair of Infection Control at Huntington Hospital/Northwell Health, said numerous mutations don’t necessarily mean this variant is any worse.

“It’s important to see what is the effect of these mutations,” Popp explained in an email. The answers to whether the strain is more virulent or if the vaccines are less effective are still unknown. The next few weeks could provide a clearer picture, Popp said.

Doctors urged residents to become vaccinated and, if eligible, get the booster.

“My message to the public is to still get the vaccine,” said Khlat. “I wouldn’t tell people to wait” until companies like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna develop vaccines or boosters for the latest variant. COVID is a “killer. I want everyone vaccinated as soon as possible.”

At the same time, hospitals are actively monitoring positive cases for the potential spread of the Omicron variant into the area.

Since the emergence of the new variant on Nov. 26, “Stony Brook’s labs have been hard at work in pursuit of an answer” to whether any patients have contracted the variant, Donelan explained in an email.

Stony Brook routinely sends 10 random samples of positive COVID swabs each week to the Wadsworth Virology lab for genomic sequencing. The hospital epidemiologist reviews the available electronic medical record of all positives to identify any patient who may have key characteristics, such as traveling in areas in which Omicron is more prevalent.

“Our lab is working directly with Wadsworth to facilitate rapid sequencing of any samples with high suspicion,” Donelan added.

Scientists are also trying to determine whether this variant has different symptoms and outcomes from the original virus.

The mRNA platforms from Pfizer and Moderna have the ability to pivot rapidly in the manufacturing process in response to changes in the genetic sequences of the virus.

Thanksgiving and holiday effects

With families coming together over Thanksgiving, health care professionals anticipate that the number of cases will rise.

“Thanksgiving gatherings, historically, have provided an annual springboard for cross-transmission of all sorts of respiratory viruses,” Donelan wrote. “This year shouldn’t be expected to be different.”

Pigott added that he would anticipate that the number of positive cases
would rise.

As for travel during the December holidays, Pigott advises people to practice prevention strategies that include washing their hands frequently, wearing masks in public indoor settings, keeping their distance as much as possible in public and when people don’t know the vaccination status of others.

Khlat suggested that people didn’t necessarily need to cancel any holiday travel plans because of the new variant. He urged people to “be smart” and make sure they wear masks on airplanes and remain aware of their surroundings.

“We can’t be prisoners,” he said. He also recommended that people stay home if they have symptoms like sniffles or a cough.

Khlat, who is planning to travel in January, will bring along hand sanitizer and may wear an n95 mask.

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From left, Town Clerk Vincent Puleo, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital Mary Ellen McCrossen, Senator Mario Mattera, Comptroller John Kennedy, Legislator Leslie Kennedy, Town Councilman Tom McCarthy, Tax Receiver Deanna Varricchio, Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, Lorra Caligiuri, Town Councilman Tom Lohmann, Smithtown Sanitation Supervisor Neal Sheehan, Steven Schmalfuss (Parks), Environmental Director David Barnes, Taylor Silvester (DEW) Urban Forrester Tom Colella, and Marcel Caillat (Parks). Photo from Town of Smithtown

On Tuesday, Nov. 23, State, County and local Smithtown officials joined the community in a ceremonial tree planting at Veterans Memorial (Moriches) Park in St. James, commemorating the 475 residents who have died from COVID-19. The memorial ceremony, hosted by Town Officials, the Department of Environment and Waterways, Town Forresters, and the Parks department was part of a Tree City USA Reward Grant. At the end of the ceremony, Smithtown Sanitation Supervisor Neal Sheehan and his sister Lorra Caligiuri led State and local officials in the tree planting, to honor the memory of their parents.

“I would like to first thank our Environmental Director David Barnes, his Foresters; Tom Colella and Robert Barget, who helped select this Dawn Redwood and our parks team for orchestrating the planting… This Dawn Redwood will grow bigger and more prominent each year. And as the holidays draw near, her beautiful red foliage will serve as a reminder that we will never forget the memory of our loved ones taken by this pandemic. My hope is that it brings you comfort. This Redwood will grow here throughout the generations allowing the memory of all 475 Smithtown Residents to live on forever,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

The memorial tree is a four-inch caliper Dawn Redwood, boasting stunning red foliage in the Fall. The tree was selected by the Department of Environment and Waterways Foresters (certified arborists) under the direction of David Barnes, who is also a renowned Landscape Architect. A plaque unveiling, and name reading ceremony will take place in late Spring of 2022. The memorial plaque will be donated by the Town of Smithtown.

“We were all impacted by the pandemic, whether we lost a loved one or helped a friend grieve. As residents and individuals who serve the community we live in, we wanted to do something to let our town know, we grieve together. This tree is unique, it grows quickly and stands out in an extraordinary manner. The same can be said about the people we loved and lost. This is just one small way we can honor their memory,” said David Barnes, Environmental Protection Director.

The Town of Smithtown has maintained the title of Tree City USA, for 35 years and was recently recognized with a ‘Growth Award’ by the Arbor Day Foundation for Street Tree Care. Since 2020, the Town has inventoried 10,000 street trees, or 20% of the town’s estimated 50,000 total street tree census. The Town of Smithtown has planted 1250 trees since 2019, and has been recognized by the media for proactive management of the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive species which feeds on specific trees.

For questions or more information regarding the town’s forestry program, to request a planting or maintenance please contact the department during office hours at 631-360-7514.

Photos courtesy of Town of Smithtown

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Gov. Kathy Hochul. File photo by Julianne Mosher
State of Emergency to Trigger Use of Surge and Flex System and Expand Purchasing Ability
Department of Health Will Be Permitted to Limit Non-Essential, Non-Urgent Scheduled Hospital Procedures If Necessary to Ensure Capacity
New Omicron Variant Not Detected in New York State Yet, but Hochul Warns: ‘It’s Coming’

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul today announced urgent action to boost hospital capacity and address staffing shortages ahead of potential spikes in COVID-19 cases this upcoming winter. Through an Executive Order signed by Governor Hochul, the Department of Health will be allowed to limit non-essential, non-urgent procedures for in-hospitals or systems with limited capacity to protect access to critical health care services. Limited capacity is defined as below 10% staffed bed capacity, or as determined by the Department of Health based on regional and health care utilization factors.

The new protocols will begin on Friday, December 3, and will be re-assessed based on the latest COVID-19 data on January 15. The Executive Order will also enable New York State to acquire more quickly any critical supplies to combat the pandemic.

“We’ve taken extraordinary action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and combat this pandemic. However, we continue to see warning signs of spikes this upcoming winter, and while the new Omicron variant has yet to be detected in New York State, it’s coming,” Governor Hochul said. “In preparation, I am announcing urgent steps today to expand hospital capacity and help ensure our hospital systems can tackle any challenges posed by the pandemic as we head into the winter months. The vaccine remains one of our greatest weapons in fighting the pandemic, and I encourage every New Yorker to get vaccinated, and get the booster if you’re fully vaccinated.”

The Hochul Administration continues to take comprehensive steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including mask protocols in health care and P-12 school settings, correctional facilities and detentions centers, public transportation and at transportation hubs, and implementation of the HERO Act which requires all employers to implement workplace safety plans in response to COVID-19.

The Administration continues to focus on boosting vaccination rates among New Yorkers, including bolstering the State’s network of vaccine access points, and working to expand testing supplies. That also includes acting on our comprehensive plan to vaccinate school-aged children 5-17, provide incentive programs, combat vaccine misinformation campaigns, increase vaccine awareness, deploy pop-up vaccines in targeted low-vaccination areas, and implement vaccine requirements for health care workers. On August 24, the vaccination rate among adults with one dose was 78.8%. Today, it is 90.2%.

Further, the Administration continues to ramp up booster shots and urges all New Yorkers to get the booster dose once fully vaccinated. As of November 24, over 2.2 million boosters and/or additional doses have been administered. Nearly 4,500 locations across are administering booster shots.

The Administration will continue to partner with local leaders to make vaccines, boosters and testing more widely available.

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Taking a solo backpacking tour through Europe proves the scars of COVID-19 are deep

French citizens in Marseille protest the country’s mandate of proof of vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test. Photo by Kyle Barr
Taking a solo backpacking tour through Europe proves the scars of COVID-19 are deep

By Kyle Barr

France

Kyle Barr

There was a young man in Toulouse, France, one of only two people in a hostel dorm room, the other being me. We were two in a room meant to facilitate 15. A Parisian traveler, he had taken trains and buses down to Toulouse, named the Pink City (Ville Rose) for its famous blush-red brick. We had a good sight of the street and that colored stone out of the window we shared between our beds.

“I want to see more of my country while I can,” he told me during that cool, wet night in July. He also told me he still hadn’t gotten a vaccine for COVID-19. I had, but I was sleeping just 3 feet away from him.

This should be a normal interaction for travelers through Europe but, in a space like that, the conversation inevitably moves toward the pandemic. He tells me he did not know why he hesitated to get the vaccine. It could have been nerves. It could be the kind of anti-authoritarian impulses that us Americans know only too well. He, along with so many French citizens, have railed against the French President Emmanuel Macron for their mandated proof of a vaccine or negative COVID test for everything from cafés to concerts.

On July 14, Bastille Day, protests rolled out from France’s cities. I watched one in Marseille make its way from the old docks up to the local municipal building. The protesters were shouting “Liberté!” while holding signs reading, “Mon corps m’appartient!” meaning “My body belongs to me!”

The Monument to the Girondins in Bourdeaux. Photo by Kyle Barr

But the young Parisian man said that, despite his anger, it could actually change his mind.

“Maybe this will finally make me get the vaccine,” he told me.

Reuters’ data show an estimated 73% of France’s population has been vaccinated. That compares to an approximate 59% in the U.S. I wonder if that young man I met in Toulouse ever got his shot, but we were traveling in opposite directions, and I don’t think I’ll ever know.

There’s only one time that something can be done for the first time. So doing a European backpacking trip is one thing — an enormous thing to do as a novice. Doing it during a once-in-a-century pandemic is another thing entirely.

This past summer I made a very sudden decision to take a two-month backpacking trip through several countries in western Europe, starting June 23 and ending Aug. 18. Beginning in France, I went south to Basque country in Spain, back into France before going into Switzerland, then Germany, the Netherlands, then to Denmark before a quick flight over to Iceland.

My trip began on the very edge of when we all thought the pandemic would subside, just after many European countries started opening their doors to overseas travelers. My trip coincidentally ended just after those same nations started to roll back those open-armed policies. France instituted a COVID passport system just weeks after I left, and it is still only really available to French citizens, meaning that it would be nearly impossible to do half of what I could do just a few months before. Other European countries have instituted new restrictions and lockdowns. It means there was one small three-month period, one golden time slate when the classic Euro tour was still possible. That’s gone now.

Currently, rules are in flux, and Americans may find that restrictions can change between the time they book a trip and their departure dates. Unvaccinated U.S. passengers especially need to keep on top of all the changing regulations.

The statue of Ludwig I, Koenig von Bayern, King of Bavaria in Munich. Photo by Kyle Barr

I wonder now if things will ever return to that golden age of pandemic-era travel and, at the same time, whether we ever should go back. Because even during this perfect period when summer travel was (mostly) possible if one carried a vaccine card tucked inside a passport, adventuring alone in pandemic-scarred lands is not as it once was. It may never be the same again.

Germany

I stayed in a total of 17 hostels, one tiny hotel, two Airbnbs and two stays at kindly people’s homes. During my visit to Hamburg, Germany, I chatted up the hostel staff and heard, like most hostels along my route, they were doing barely 30 to 40% of what they had done in 2019. Backpacking alone relies on one’s ability to strike up conversations with strangers, to meet new people from all over and organize a day’s activities, but the pandemic has done more than hamper worldwide travel. It has also changed certain attitudes. Less people seem to be willing to sit down with strangers to have conversations while the pandemic lingers.

That’s not to say people are more obtuse or less friendly, but there is a sort of wariness hanging about all interactions. Most travelers I met spoke similarly about that general feeling hanging like a cloud above people’s heads. Part of it was the lack of people in hostels, but there also was a defining sense of separation.

Kyle Barr is a freelancer writer and the former editor of The Port Times Record, The Village Beacon Record and The Times of Middle Country.

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