Gov. Hochul expands vaccine boosters to all NYers who feel ‘at risk’

During her briefing in the afternoon, Hochul said there was a “direct correlation between people being vaccinated and the infection rate.”

News 12 Staff

Nov 16, 2021, 10:23 PM

Updated 1,116 days ago

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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:
  • Anyone 65 and older
  • 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.