New York state health officials signaled Wednesday a requirement that health care workers receive the COVID-19 vaccination will end as pandemic-era rules more broadly are expiring.

The announcement comes after years of legal challenges to the vaccine requirement, which resulted in health care workers who refused to receive the vaccine losing their jobs as a result.

The City University of New York will end its COVID-19 vaccine mandate at the end of the spring semester.

Twenty-two CUNY colleges will lift the mandate for students, faculty and staff members on May 23, the last day of the spring semester, the public university said in a news release.

Visitors to New York state nursing homes will no longer be required to show a negative COVID-19 test in order to gain entry to the facilities, state Department of Health officials on Friday announced.

The updated guidance for nursing homes in the state is meant to align with federal policies that no longer require a negative COVID-19 test result.

The city will attempt to crack down on masked criminals by urging stores to require customers to remove their masks when they first walk in, Mayor Eric Adams said this week.

Shop and bodega owners should “not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face mask,” Adams said in an interview Monday, maintaining the measure would deter shoplifting and “serious crimes” alike.

It's been three years since the COVID-19 virus ravaged through the city.

Jackson Heights and neighboring communities became the epicenter of the epicenter.

New Yorkers who have underlying medical issues and are at risk of contracting a serious case of COVID-19 are being encouraged by state health officials to stay up-to-date with a bivalent booster shot.

The state Department of Health on Friday announced the launch of a public service campaign to highlight the booster doses and their availability.

Workers in the health care field will continue to be required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as other pandemic-era regulations like requiring facemasks inside health care facilities are ending, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said.

The ongoing vaccination requirement is consistent with federal policy set by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, Hochul said.

New York state health officials will allow masking mandates in hospitals and other health care facilities to lapse come Feb. 12, acting state Health Commissioner James V. McDonald said.

The emergency regulation was put in place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and applied to all staff, patients and visitors.

The city will drop its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers later this week, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday.

COVID-19 vaccines will become optional for current and prospective city workers on Friday, Feb. 10, after "the expected ratification at the next Board of Health meeting" scheduled for Feb. 9, Adams said in a press release.

A highly transmissible new omicron subvariant known as XBB.1.5 accounts for more than 70% of the COVID-19 cases New York City has seen in recent weeks, the city health department said Friday.

As of Dec. 31, 73% of reported COVID-19 infections in the five boroughs were linked to the subvariant, data from the city’s Department of Health shows.

With the weather getting colder and Christmas less than a week away, New Yorkers are being reminded to stay safe and healthy.

Health officials on Tuesday advised New Yorkers to keep vaccinations up to date, wear masks, test regularly and stay home when sick.

The city has issued an advisory urging New Yorkers to mask up as the “triple threat” of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, becomes a reality.

The five boroughs are seeing an “unusually high” simultaneous spike in infections caused by the three respiratory viruses, the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said in a press release Friday.

Although COVID-19 levels in New York state have been relatively low since the late spring, many officials and health experts have kept a watchful eye lately as the colder months and holiday gatherings have led to case increases over the last two years.

As of now, COVID-19 levels remain much lower than this point in 2021 and 2020, according to the latest data released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Residential care facilities in New York will be required to notify residents and their families when an infection is confirmed in the facility under legislation approved Wednesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The new law will also require nursing homes in the state to have a plan to aid exposed or infected residents.

Advocates for older and vulnerable New Yorkers say more funding is needed for an oversight program at nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

More than half of the nursing homes and long-term care facilities in New York have not received a visit from a member of the state's ombudsman program so far this year. It's a problem the needs to be addressed, said Bill Ferris, the legislative representative for AARP New York.

In a Nov. 3 video that’s part of a public awareness campaign, state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett warned New Yorkers about a so-called "triple threat" of respiratory viruses going around.

“This fall we’re facing a triple threat from respiratory infections like RSV, flu, and COVID-19,” Bassett said.

The fitness industry was hard hit during the pandemic. They were among some of the last businesses to reopen.

Anne Mahlum, founder of Solid Core and the new wellness company called Ambition, joined NY1 to talk about how the industry is recovering, particularly here in New York.

A handful of city-run sexual health clinics that shifted to rapid COVID-19 testing and vaccination during the pandemic have begun offering sexual health services again, officials said Friday.

Five of the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene’s eight sexual health clinics — including its Chelsea Express, Fort Greene Express and Corona clinics — are now offering sexual health services, the agency said in a press release.

Emergency management consulting firm Olson Group Ltd. expects to have a final contract by the end of the week to start reviewing the impact of New York's response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the next year.

The Olson Group, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is prepared to review the state's policies and decisions related to the coronavirus and their impact on schools, businesses, nursing homes and more for a maximum of $4.3 million.

*Editor's note: The state has selected the Olson Group Ltd. in Alexandria, Virginia, to conduct the one-year review. An earlier version of this story identified a different Olson Group Ltd. in New York City.

A consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia is closing in on finalizing a state contract to evaluate policies and decisions made in New York throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York lawmakers who introduced a bill last year to require the COVID-19 vaccine for school children weren't successful in advancing that proposal. But they're not giving up.

State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz sponsors legislation to require school students in New York be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It died in the Health Committee this session.

The city is seeing an “uptick” in COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus cases, Mayor Eric Adams said this week, and health officials are warning that the so-called “triple threat” of the three illnesses could worsen in the coming months.

Here’s what you need to know about the viruses, from how to protect yourself from them to how many infections the city is seeing.

Health officials on Tuesday voted to drop COVID-19 vaccination requirements for high-risk extracurricular activities in schools and for private-sector employers.

The decision at a health board meeting comes after the city announced it will appeal a Staten Island judge’s Monday ruling to reinstate municipal workers who were fired for not getting their vaccine.

As Republicans try to win back power in the halls of Congress, the third-ranking Republican lawmaker in Washington is pledging to ramp up investigations.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik says that will include subpoenas of New York ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Ten counties in New York state are classified as having "high" COVID-19 community levels, according to new data released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Friday, the nine counties are all in the Capital Region and the state's North Country.

Children ages 5 and above are now eligible to receive the bivalent COVID booster shots that are meant to increase protection against variants of COVID-19, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced.

"Being able to provide the bivalent boosters to an even greater number of children throughout the state will expand protection against the Omicron variants, as we collectively work to stay up to date with these safe, effective vaccinations," Hochul said. "I encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get these boosters to protect themselves, their families, their children, and our communities from this virus as we head into the cold weather months."

More than 363,000 COVID-19 bivalent booster shots have been administered in New York City since the updated vaccine was rolled out in early September, the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said at a briefing Wednesday.

The number represents a modest jump from the end of September, when the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told NY1 that 175,000 New York City residents received the latest COVID-19 vaccine, which is referred to as bivalent because it has been designed specifically to better inoculate against omicron and other prevalent COVID-19 subvariants.

Thousands of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 among Medicare recipients were avoided in New York due to the widespread use of the vaccine, a report released this month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found.

The report comes as public health officials are rolling out COVID booster shots for eligible people ahead of the winter months in order to reduce the spread of the virus as the pandemic continues, but many guidelines like mask wearing in most indoor places has ended.

Public health officials and experts are closely watching flu and COVID-19 cases this season as the cold-weather months set in.

At the same time, they're encouraging eligible New Yorkers to get their flu shots and COVID-19 boosters to limit the chances of both illnesses overwhelming brittle hospital systems that have bended during the pandemic.

Health officials in New York are launching a public awareness campaign to urge people to get their COVID-19 boosters and flu shots this season.

The campaign launches Monday, and comes as flu cases are on the rise in New York compared to this point a year ago. Fifteen-second and 30-second videos to air on social media, search ads and some transit advertising will appear in English and Spanish.

Only 175,000 New York City residents have received a dose of the latest COVID-19 booster vaccine since their release earlier this month, according to the health department, leaving public health experts concerned about the population’s immunity levels ahead of an expected wave of infections.

In early September, the latest COVID-19 “bivalent” booster vaccine, tailored to battle omicron strains of the virus, became available. It arrived at an ideal time: Infection rates in the city were the lowest since the spring, offering a chance to preemptively supercharge immunity ahead of an expected winter wave of new cases.

New York City is entering its third pandemic winter with the least amount of public health rules in place since COVID-19 prompted a citywide shutdown in March 2020.

Mayor Eric Adams rescinded the vaccine requirements for private employers and for public school students participating in extracurricular activities. Gov. Kathy Hochul this month ended the mask requirement for public transit.

The city must reinstate Police Benevolent Association members who were fired or put on leave for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, a state supreme court judge has ruled.

In a ruling handed down Friday, Judge Lyle Frank deemed the city’s vaccine mandate for municipal workers “invalid” for members of the five boroughs' largest police union.

New York health officials on Wednesday launched a website with audio resources meant to aid people who are struggling with the lingering side effects of a COVID-19 infection.

The webpage includes resources for how New Yorkers can seek treatment from health care providers.

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to take a case brought by an NYPD detective asking to stop the city from firing him and others for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a court spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.

Lawyers for Detective Anthony Marciano asked the court in August for an emergency injunction to block the city from enforcing its vaccination requirement for all municipal employees.

New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private-sector workers will come to an end on Nov. 1, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday morning.

Additionally, the mayor said the city will end its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for student athletes effective immediately.

A measure to create a task force reviewing the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on group homes in New York is heading to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk for her consideration.

The bill, approved earlier this year, would also seek feedback from the residents of those facilities with the goal of improving living conditions and the communication between residents and families.

Gov. Kathy Hochul will allow her office's power to conduct the government's response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to lapse when they are up for renewal at midnight, she said on Monday in New York City.

Hochul's decision to allow the expanded authority to end comes after she has already scaled back many requirements and mandates related to the pandemic, including relaxed guidance for mask wearing in schools and on public transportation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially recommended two updated COVID-19 booster shots on Sept. 1 — and pharmacies and health care providers across the state have since begun offering them.

Here’s what you need to know about the new vaccines, including who is eligible to receive them and how you can schedule an appointment.

This week, Gov. Kathy Hochul ended the mask requirement on public transit as the state moves to a new phase of combatting COVID-19.

But even as Hochul is winding down COVID-19 restrictions in New York, some Republican lawmakers want her to completely relinquish her power to oversee the pandemic.

Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted New York state’s mass transit mask mandate on Wednesday, making face coverings optional on subways, buses and other modes of public transport.

There are still a handful of indoor settings, however, that will require face coverings. Here’s where masks will and won’t be required in New York City:

The former interim president of the city’s transit authority says the governor’s decision to make masks optional on subways and buses is an indication of the current conditions found in the subway system — fewer riders are wearing masks.

“I think it’s a reflection of the reality that we are seeing in the subway and on buses right now,” Sarah Feinberg said. “Anyone who’s in the system is seeing that we are not seeing nearly the masks that we used to see.”

The coming of fall means that New York is heading toward its third winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, a season that has complicated the state’s progress on the virus each year, starkly contrasting the low-case levels and relaxed restrictions seen during the warmer months.

The surge of the omicron variant last winter sent New York’s COVID-19 caseloads to levels that far exceeded those at any point in 2020 and brought a return to a statewide mask mandate that had been dropped just six months prior.

Masks will no longer be required when riding mass transit in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday morning during a news conference in Brooklyn.

“Masks are encouraged, but optional. This is what you’re going to see on our subways and our mass transit throughout the state of New York,” Hochul said, pointing to updated signage that will soon make its way to mass transportation hubs.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said the ongoing requirement for masking on mass transit systems in New York state could be changed and is part of an ongoing "conversation."

Any change would come as New York has scaled back its COVID-19 pandemic guidelines to be more in line with recommendations announced in August by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 booster shots could be rolling out in a matter of weeks in New York, and their distribution will likely focus on pharmacies, clinics and health care networks.

A Centers for Disease Control panel on Thursday voted to approve the booster shots for the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 as the fall and winter seasons approach, and with them a potential spike in cases.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Monday denied an appeal from a New York Police Department detective who asked for an emergency injunction to keep the city from firing him over its mandate that municipal employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Detective Anthony Marciano has a lawsuit pending against the city in a federal appeals court, and his attorneys last week had petitioned Sotomayor, who oversees emergency appeals from New York and some other states, for the injunction while the case is being resolved.

Public health officials are gearing up for another rise in COVID-19 cases this fall and winter. And as booster shots are rolled out, pandemic guidances relaxed and COVID-19 test kits no longer available for free through the mail from the federal government, the next phase could be a major test for returning to a semblance of normal.

This Friday will be the last day to order free COVID-19 tests kit through the mail. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Monday said she expects funding for the program will lapse.

Some who are infected with COVID-19 could experience long-term effects from the disease, also known as long COVID-19.

The CDC reports that long COVID symptoms could last weeks, months or years and include fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, hair loss, chest pain and headaches.

A New York City police detective has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the city from firing him and other workers for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Lawyers for Detective Anthony Marciano asked the court Thursday for an emergency injunction that would block the city from enforcing a rule requiring all municipal employees to get vaccinated.

New York state will ease its COVID-19 rules for schools this fall as students and teachers return to the classroom in the coming weeks, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.

Officials plan to align New York's pandemic rules for schools and other areas with updated guidelines released earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — First lady Jill Biden left COVID-19 isolation on Sunday after twice testing negative for the coronavirus and reunited with President Joe Biden at their Delaware beach home.

She had been isolating in South Carolina, where she tested positive for the virus as the couple wrapped up a vacation there last week. The president made a brief stop at the White House before going to Wilmington, Delaware. He arrived in Rehoboth Beach on Saturday night.

NEW YORK – The city’s public health system announced on Wednesday that starting next week it will begin testing wastewater for polio and monkeypox at the city's 11 public hospitals.

The announcement comes days after New York state and city health officials discovered the poliovirus in city wastewater samples, suggesting likely local circulation of the virus.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced her administration will relaunch its statewide #VaxtoSchool campaign, an initiative aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates among school-aged New Yorkers as they prepare to head back into classrooms.

"As we prepare for the beginning of the school year and the fall season, it is important that we do all we can to protect our youngest New Yorkers," Hochul said in a statement. "By breaking down barriers to vaccine access, these partnerships will allow New York State to continue to protect the health and safety of our most vulnerable community members and keep our schools open.”

The city began shutting down the 10 COVID-19 vaccination sites for kids younger than 5 last week, with all expected to close by Sunday, Aug. 14.

Three of the locations switched to distributing monkeypox vaccines on Aug. 5, the city said. It was not clear whether the other seven sites would transition, as well.

President Joe Biden continued to test positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, but he "continues to feel well" and even completed a "light workout," his physician said in an update.

Dr. Kevin O'Connor wrote in a memo Wednesday that Biden "is still experiencing an occasional cough, but less frequently than" Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 for the second straight day, in what appears to be in a rare case of “rebound” following treatment with an anti-viral drug.

In a letter noting the positive test, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the White House physician, said Sunday that the president “continues to feel well” and will keep on working from the executive residence while he isolates.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday against a group of New York parents who sued after the state made it more difficult for children to get a medical exemption from school immunization requirements, which were tightened after a major measles outbreak in 2019.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by families and Children’s Health Defense, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine group.

State health officials on Monday announced more than $10 million in grant money will be provided to small, community-based wellness organizations to provide COVID-19 mitigation resources and services to New Yorkers.

The money is meant to support organizations considered to be "trusted voices" among community members and serve people considered to be at greater risk for contracting COVID.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden continues to “improve significantly” despite a lingering sore throat from his coronavirus infection, according to an update Sunday from his doctor.

“The president is responding to therapy as expected,” wrote Dr. Kevin O’Connor in his latest note. Biden has been taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug that helps reduce the chance of severe illness.

New York state is taking the initial steps to launch a review and assessment of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which Gov. Kathy Hochul hopes will serve as a "blueprint" going forward.

Hochul has for the last several months promised to begin the process for assessing the state's pandemic-related policies and announced Wednesday a request for proposals for an independent entity to conduct it will be posted.

Three million COVID-19 test kits will be going to school districts ahead of the fall reopening as no plans are in place to return to indoor masking rules for students and staff, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday said.

Hochul in New York City gave an update on the state's response to a pair of ongoing public health challenges: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as the emerging spread of monkeypox.

New York's coming review of the COVID-19 pandemic will be a "blueprint" for the rest of the country, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said.

But when that review will be formally launched remains unclear.

New York City and the downstate area continue bearing the brunt of the state’s recent slight uptick in COVID-19 community levels, according to new data released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Friday, 10 of the state’s 62 counties are now classified by the CDC as having “high” COVID-19 levels, up from seven a week ago. They include all New York City boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester, Orange and Putnam counties.

As yet another COVID-19 variant sweeps through New York City, pushing infection rates upwards to levels not seen since January, the city continues to grapple with its public health strategy.

“We are somewhere in between an emergency and endemicity — endemicity meaning it’s just a seasonal virus,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told “Mornings on 1” anchor Pat Kiernan Thursday. “I don’t know where we are in that transition, but we are not in the emergency phase of this pandemic.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James' office on Wednesday formally appealed a state Supreme Court ruling that tossed out regulations mandating people who are infected with or exposed to highly contagious communicable diseases be quarantined.

The regulation would allow the state Department of Health to work with local health officials to put mandated isolation and quarantine rules in place in order to prevent the spread of highly contagious or communicable diseases.

New Yorkers will be able to pick up at-home COVID-19 test kits at parks sites in all five boroughs as the city works to ramp up its distribution efforts amid a rise in cases, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.

Fifty-seven public pools, recreation centers and nature centers will start handing out at-home COVID-19 testing kits on Wednesday, July 13, Adams said in a press release.

The New York state Department of Health is continuing the long battle of combatting COVID-19, as well as the relatively new challenge of the monkeypox virus, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday.

“COVID continues to be ever present,” she said, adding that deaths remain very low as new variants have led to a rise in cases in parts of the state in recent weeks.

AKRON, N.Y. -- Gov. Kathy Hochul said she continues to track New York's COVID-19 infection and hospitalization numbers daily and while cases are trending up, it doesn't appear the current sub-variant of the virus is causing as serious illness as previous ones.

"We're not looking at more restrictions right now because this time around, we have readily available vaccinations. Anybody can get a booster shot," Hochul said. "If you're over 50, you can get a double booster, which I've had, as well as the test kits are so widely available."

Hundreds of New Yorkers were able to get refunds for COVID-19 tests late last year that promised 24-hour turnaround times for results and failed to deliver.

Attorney General Letitia James' office last week announced 692 people were able to receive more than $122,000 who had paid for the expedited results but did not receive them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson for Schumer said in a statement.

According to Schumer's office, the majority leader is fully vaccinated and is experiencing mild symptoms, and will quarantine this week and work remotely.

COVID-19 cases are rising in New York City and city leaders are taking notice. The city’s Department of Health tweeted Friday asking New Yorkers to mask up indoors and outside in crowded areas.

Data from the governor’s office shows New York City’s seven-day positivity rate at over 9%, the second highest region in the state.

Dr. Jay Varma, an epidemiologist and a former senior health advisor during the de Blasio administration, told Errol Louis on "Inside City Hall" Friday he believes the "incredibly disappointing" response to monkeypox by federal government has led to a rate of infections that could have been avoided with tools already available to officials.

"It's definitely the fear that I have. The more we're seeing it, it's more likely to happen," Varma said. "If we don't really get ahead of this, then we are going to fall further behind and it will become a permanent part of our disease landscape."

COVID-19 community levels continue to remain low across most of upstate New York while New York City and the downstate area are monitoring a new increase in cases, according to new data released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Friday, seven of the state's 62 counties are now classified by the CDC as having "high" COVID-19 levels. They include all New York City boroughs and Westchester and Nassau counties.

Rachel Kellner and Mark Libertini are a married couple who saved Aigner Chocolates from closing. It’s the second oldest chocolate shop in New York City.

During the pandemic, they gave kids chocolate in exchange for them making art for frontline workers.

Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday defended his administration’s decision to phase out its COVID-19 alert system, calling it an “old weapon” ill-equipped to combat the recent wave of new variants.

The city’s health commissioner last week said the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was “reevaluating” its alert system, which had deemed the five boroughs at either “low,” “medium,” “high” or “very high” risk level based on their latest COVID-19 statistics.

David Birdoff is back home from a trip and getting tested for COVID-19 is one of the first things on his to-do list. He said he’s treating COVID-19 with the same caution today that he did when the pandemic started in 2020.

With infection rates rising, he’s worried that others may not be taking the same precautions.

Health officials are once again monitoring an increase in COVID-19 cases in New York City, as some neighborhoods have a positivity rate as high as 23% and new variants continue to spread.

"The question is whether we are reaching a new plateau and this is just where we will be for sometime, or whether this is the beginning of a more prolonged increase," said Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the commissioner of the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, at an unrelated press conference. "And I think it's still a little too early to tell."

A mask-optional policy for theatergoers on Broadway began July 1.

When it was announced, many actors voiced their concerns about potential risks to their health.

The fast-changing coronavirus has kicked off summer in the U.S. with lots of infections but relatively few deaths compared to its prior incarnations.

COVID-19 is still killing hundreds of Americans each day, but is not nearly as dangerous as it was last fall and winter.

NEW YORK — A fleet of mobile testing sites rolling out across the city will provide New Yorkers with COVID-19 “instant access” to free antiviral medications, officials said Thursday.

The city is opening more than 30 mobile “Test to Treat” sites this summer that will offer rapid COVID-19 testing, Mayor Eric Adams and city health officials announced at a news briefing.

The Supreme Court declined on Thursday to take up a case involving a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers in New York that does not offer an exemption for religious reasons.

The court’s action follows a decision in December in which the justices declined an emergency request to halt the requirement. At the time, doctors, nurses and other medical workers who said they were being forced to choose between their jobs and religious beliefs.

Pfizer announced Saturday that tweaking its COVID-19 vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and works — just days before regulators debate whether to offer Americans updated booster shots this fall.

The vaccines currently used in the U.S. still offer strong protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death -- especially if people have gotten a booster dose. But those vaccines target the original coronavirus strain and their effectiveness against any infection dropped markedly when the super-contagious omicron mutant emerged.

New York state officials are rolling out a "robust" effort to vaccinate children between the ages of 5 and six months, the final cohort of people yet to qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Health officials at the same time are urging parents and guardians of young children to speak with their doctors or medical providers about receiving the vaccine.

Since Mayor Eric Adams entered office, his administration has not inspected private companies for compliance with the city's COVID-19 mandate, the mayor's office confirmed Tuesday.

Adams' predecessor, Bill de Blasio, created a mandate that forced all private employers to require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The rule was not implemented until his final days in office.

City-run COVID-19 vaccination sites began offering doses of the vaccine for children 6 months through 5 years of age Wednesday morning across the five boroughs.

The shots are being offered at 10 city vaccine hubs, — including Times Square, the Queens Center Mall, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Empire Outlets — where the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be available.

After the Food and Drug Administration last week gave emergency authorization to the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children under the age of five, some parents likely have questions.

Dr. Joseph Sellers, an immediate past president of the Medical Society of the State of New York, said in a Capital Tonight interview some parents have been eagerly awaiting the approval, while others may be hesitant.

The wait is over for families looking to get their young children vaccinated against COVID-19.

Starting Tuesday, privately run vaccination sites across the city began administering COVID-19 doses to children as young as 6 months old.

New York City has downgraded its COVID-19 alert level, officials said Tuesday, citing a shift to “the other side” of a recent wave of cases.

The five boroughs have moved from a “high” to “medium” risk level, Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said in a joint press release Tuesday afternoon.

Theatergoers attending Broadway shows in July will no longer be required to wear masks, the Broadway League said Tuesday.

All 41 Broadway theaters will drop their mask mandates on July 1 and stay “mask optional” through July 31, the League said in a press release.

New York City is making a push to give city workers fired earlier this year for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine a chance to get their old jobs back — if they get fully vaccinated.

In February, Mayor Eric Adams fired more than 1,400 workers who failed to comply with the vaccine mandate put in place by his predecessor, Bill de Blasio.

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan announced on Friday plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations for children younger than 5, pending federal approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this weekend.

Adams’ announcement came shortly after the Food and Drug Administration on Friday morning authorized the first COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months.

New York state should conduct an independent review of its COVID-19 pandemic policies, hold public hearings and make public its final report and conclusions, a coalition of watchdog organizations urged last month in a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The groups made their letter to Hochul sent on May 16 public on Monday and after the governor signaled on May 24 she would conduct an assessment of COVID policies using an outside consultant.

COVID-19 community levels in New York state are continuing to decline from a post-omicron springtime spike, with only a handful of counties now classified as having "high" community levels of the virus, according to new data released Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Friday, only seven of the state's 62 counties are now classified by the CDC as having "high" COVID-19 levels. That’s down from the recent peak of 54 just three weeks ago. The current "high" counties are Clinton County in the North Country, two counties in the Capital Region and western Hudson Valley, and those on Long Island.

New York City has overcome its most recent COVID-19 wave, according to the city’s Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.

In a series of tweets posted Thursday morning, Vasan said COVID-19 cases have fallen by 26% in the five boroughs since May 23, “giving us confidence that we have passed the peak and we are heading into a safer environment.”