State could reach vaccine target in days

State could reach vaccine target in days

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York will lift more COVID-19 rules once 70 percent of adults have at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, a target that Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday he hoped the state could reach in days.
New Yorkers will still be required to wear masks in certain settings like subways and hospitals, but Cuomo touted his Monday announcement as a step closer to "life as normal."
"Or as normal as you can be post-COVID," Cuomo said.
About 68.7 percent of New York adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest federal data.
Cuomo aides hope New York could reach that 70 percent target for adults, which mirrors President Biden's own goal, in coming days, even as fewer residents are getting vaccinated statewide. New York administered 483,000 doses in the seven days through Saturday, down from nearly 619,000 over the previous week.
A smaller percentage of New York's entire population of 20 million residents, including children, have received at least one dose: so far, 56 percent or 11 million residents. And 48 percent are fully vaccinated.
New York is far short of hitting 70 percent of all residents fully vaccinated. That's the minimum level that scientists have estimated may be needed for herd immunity, when the uncontrolled spread of the infectious disease through the population is stopped.
Cuomo said even when New York reaches the target of 70 percent of adults receiving at least one COVID-19 dose, public health precautions will still apply in certain settings like large-scale event venues, pre-K to 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes and health care settings.
People will still have to wear masks and stay six feet from others on subways and buses, for example.
But Cuomo said the state would lift any remaining health screening, contact tracing, cleaning, disinfection, capacity and social distancing rules elsewhere in New York.
Last month, Cuomo said businesses in New York would no longer have to limit the number of people allowed inside based on a percentage of their typical capacity. Instead, he had said businesses had to limit their capacity based on keeping people six feet apart.
And Cuomo said Monday that students no longer have to wear masks while outdoors on school grounds. But students and staff will still have to wear masks inside for the rest of the school year, Cuomo said.
That was a reversal from Friday, when a letter from the governor's health commissioner told the CDC that masks would be optional for unvaccinated students and staff effective Monday.
The state education department sent school district leaders guidance Sunday that said schools should keep requiring masks. That guidance was in direct contrast to the letter and went against updates some schools had posted to social media or online about easing mask requirements.
The governor denied Monday that his administration had caused any "confusion" over mask rules. "We said on Friday we were asking the CDC for guidance and we would tell the schools on Monday what the guidance was," Cuomo said.
The state's daily average for new cases has now fallen to 567 on a seven-day average, the lowest daily average since the pandemic began. That's down from an average of more than 16,300 cases per day in early January.
Meanwhile, rates of vaccination vary widely around New York state.
When asked Monday how his administration would boost rates in the most reluctant communities, Cuomo said he's urging community groups, including churches, to help with vaccination efforts.