New York’s next mayor delays inauguration plans as city offers $100 booster incentive
The next mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, said on Tuesday he would postpone his inauguration ceremony, which was set for 1 January, due to the rise in cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
He did so shortly after the current mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced that residents who get a Covid-19 booster shot by the end of the year will receive $100.
“Today we’re announcing a $100 incentive for anyone who gets a Covid-19 booster at a city-run site or with our partner Somos Care,” De Blasio said. “This is a limited time opportunity – through 12/31.
“This is the moment. Get your booster and protect your family and city,” he said.
In his own statement, Adams, like De Blasio a Democrat, said: “It is clear that our city is facing a formidable opponent in the Omicron variant. After consulting public health experts, we have decided that [the] inauguration ceremony will be postponed to a later date.”
The Omicron variant is spreading rapidly. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Omicron is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the US, making up 73% of new infections last week. CDC data revealed a nearly six-fold increase in Omicron’s share of infections in just one week.
New York state reported that nearly 22,000 people tested positive on Friday, the highest single-day total for new cases since testing became widely available. More than half of the positive results came from New York City.
City data indicates that the percentage of people who tested positive reached nearly 8% during the week of 13 December, more than double the seven-day average from the previous week.
According to Dr Eric Legome, who oversees two of Mount Sinai Health System’s seven emergency rooms, ERs have seen about 20% more patients – with all conditions – in recent days.
“We’re seeing a lot more treat-and-release” coronavirus patients than in earlier waves, he said.
Many are looking for tests, help with mild or moderate symptoms, or monoclonal antibody treatment. So far only few are requiring oxygen or a hospital stay, Legome said.
De Blasio said that over the last seven days, the city had seen an average of approximately 9,300 new Covid cases.
“That will continue to rise in the next few weeks,” the mayor said in a press conference.
In a separate announcement on Tuesday, Joe Biden was to say half a billion at-home tests would be sent free to the public this winter in attempts to combat Omicron.
Delivery will start next month and a website will be set up to allow people to order tests and have them delivered to their homes for free.