Dear New York Tech Students, Faculty, and Staff: As of May 13, 2022, approximately 82.1 million cases of COVID-19 and 996,376 cumulative total deaths have been reported in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the start of the pandemic. Over the past seven-day period, the state reporting the highest number of cases per 100,000 people is Massachusetts (391.8); Montana reported the least (19.6). In comparison, New York State reported 362.8 cases per 100,000 (up from 262.1 two weeks ago), New York City reported 360.9 (up from 188.3 two weeks ago), and Arkansas reported 45.6 (up from 29.4 two weeks ago). Locally, Long Island’s seven-day average testing positivity rate is now at 10.5 percent, compared with 4.9 percent for all boroughs of New York City. The Long Island percentage represents a significant increase over the past two weeks. In New York State, new hospitalizations, although relatively level, have slowly increased from 1.5 per 100,000 people two weeks ago to 2.01. The surveillance continuum for the coronavirus usually starts with increased transmission—demonstrated by increased cases, followed by increased hospitalizations, and finally, increased mortality (death) rates. In the past seven-day period, New Mexico had the highest mortality rate, at 2.8 deaths per 100,000 people, while Kentucky and Alabama had the lowest, at 0. In comparison, Arkansas reported 0.2 deaths per 100,000, and New York State had 1. Nationally, mortality rates are again forecasted to likely “remain stable or have an uncertain trend over the next four weeks.” More than 580 million doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in the U.S. As of May 12, 77.6 percent of the population has received at least one dose, 66.4 percent is now fully vaccinated, and 46.3 percent has received an additional booster. In New York State, 90.3 percent of the population has received at least one dose, and 77.1 percent is fully vaccinated. Overall, the rate of people receiving vaccines continues to decline. Omicron variants continue to spread, and recently, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul tested positive for COVID. “Thankfully, I’m vaccinated and boosted, and I’m asymptomatic. I’ll be isolating and working remotely,” she said of her experience, which is similar to many others, including roughly 15 members of the New York Tech community who were infected this past week. Fortunately, none of those infections led to hospitalizations, and all are considered mild/moderate cases. This is consistent with evidence to date that the predominant variants of concern, BA.2 and BA.2.12.1, are less virulent and cause less severe illness than other COVID strains. They now represent 99 percent of the variants of concern in the United States, with BA.2.12.1, at 42 percent, growing most rapidly, particularly in the Northeast. New York Tech continues to follow guidance from the CDC, which assigns each county a level of “high,” “medium,” or “low” using a combination of metrics: 1) case rate per 100,000 population; 2) new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000; and 3) the percentage of staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19. Based on these metrics, no New York City boroughs or Westchester County have attained the “high” category, which requires the use of masks indoors, while Nassau and Suffolk Counties attained the “high” level today. As such, the CDC recommendation for these counties is: Wear a mask indoors in public and when on public transportation. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. As we begin to make summer plans that may include travel outside the U.S., please refer to the CDC website, which provides COVID advisory information for specific countries. Meanwhile, from a global perspective, North Korea has indicated it is experiencing a COVID outbreak, following its strategy over the past two years to close its borders to prevent the virus from gaining entry with little emphasis on vaccination. This appeared to be effective, with few cases reported. However, it is now reporting the first COVID cases in which the Omicron variant seems to be responsible, and there is a major concern about rapid spread in a country where few are vaccinated. COVID remains a formidable public health concern that will be around in some form or other in the foreseeable future. Therefore, as previously shared, in the Long Island region it is now recommended and appropriate to wear masks indoors, particularly among large crowds. As always, when ill, you should get tested for COVID and isolate as appropriate. As a reminder, New York Tech requires proof of vaccination from all students, faculty, and staff. Please find more information about our vaccination and testing policies and how to upload proof of vaccination here. Additionally, all members of the community must report to contacttracing@nyit.edu if they have tested positive. As always, those who may feel anxious or uneasy can reach out to Counseling and Wellness Services at our campuses in Long Island (516.686.7683) or New York City (212.261.1773) to talk or make a virtual appointment. Our medical students can reach out to NYITCOM’s Counseling and Wellness in Long Island (516.686.7636) or Arkansas (870.680.8839). Sincerely, Brian L. Harper M.D., M.P.H. Chief Medical Officer, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine Copyright © 2022 New York Institute of Technology