Gov.
Kathy Hochul made a plea Tuesday for all New Yorkers to get vaccinated against
COVID-19, get a booster shot and maintain COVID-19 protocols as cases begin to
spike in Western New York and other rural areas.
During
her briefing in the afternoon, Hochul said there was a “direct correlation
between people being vaccinated and the infection rate.”
"The
[vaccination] numbers are getting up there, we'll eventually hit 90%, but it's
that 10% that's holding everybody back,” said Hochul. “That's what's so frustrating
about this. It doesn't have to be that way."
Hochul
announced during the briefing that any
adult in New York who feels at risk can now get a COVID-19 booster shot. The
governor said most of the state is in a high-transmission area, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Food and Drug Administration is also said to be planning to authorize booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine for all adults as early as Thursday, according to the New York Times.
Her
booster expansion goes above and beyond the CDC, which currently recommends
boosters for:
- 18 and
older with an underlying health condition
- Any
adult at a high risk of exposure
- Adults
who got a Johnson & Johnson shot
The
governor also raised the alarm when it comes to the rise in so-called
breakthrough infections and an increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and
other health issues of New Yorkers who may have put their medical care on hold
because of the pandemic.
To
convince more parents to have their young children roll up their sleeve and get
the shot, Hochul announced a new ad campaign.
"We've
launched a '
Get the Facts' page to dispel information that's wrong,
because there's a lot of disinformation out there, a lot of lies, that's what
we're combatting," she says.
The
governor ended her news conference today with a message to local lawmakers – if
they need to reinstate stricter COVID-19 protocols, they have her support and
any resources they need.
"The
warning is going out loud and clear today, and I truly hope the
community at large will listen to this because it doesn't have to be this
way," she said.