Hochul urges vaccines around the holidays

On Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul put out an update regarding the state's fight against the COVID-19 virus. It started with a statistic from the day before Thanksgiving: 24 coronavirus-related deaths were reported on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - On Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul put out an update regarding the state's fight against the COVID-19 virus. It started with a statistic from the day before Thanksgiving: 24 coronavirus-related deaths were reported on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

"With the holiday season now in full swing, I urge New Yorkers to take advantage of all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," said Hochul in a release. "Stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

The Governor's office urged residents to stay up-to-date on vaccines, including the recent bivalent booster shot, as well as flu shots. The bivalent booster protects against regular and Omicron variants of COVID-19, and is approved for anyone age 5 and over in New York. Boosters are available at most major pharmacy chains, as well as some municipalities and county offices.

Statewide COVID data as of Friday included:

• Cases per 100k residents: 20.12 
• 7-day average cases per 100k: 19.23
• Test results reported: 51,775 
• Total positive tests: 3,931 
• Percent positive cases: 7.25% 
• 7-day average percent positive: 6.30%     
• Hospitalizations: 2,823 (-59) 
• Patients newly admitted: 437 
• Patients in ICU: 273 (-8)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation: 89 (-7)
• Total Discharges: 365,309 (+457) 
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS: 24   
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS: 59,334  

The governor's message included numbers from the New York State Department of Health, reporting that influenza numbers have nearly tripled over the last three weeks - with flu-related hospitalizations more than doubling in that time.