Gov. Kathy Hochul is urging federal officials to stockpile resources and fund additional pandemic relief to states ahead of potential COVID-19 surges this summer and fall.
Hochul spoke with White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha on Monday about the state partnering with President Joe Biden's administration to ensure adequate supplies, testing resources, vaccines and more to successfully manage new coronavirus variants or higher infection rates.
COVID-19 has been on the rise in recent weeks, with new national cases increasing 30.7% from May 4 to May 11, up from a 21.4% increase the week prior, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. A total of 137 counties across the U.S. have high coronavirus transmission levels, with some of the highest national COVID-19 transmission rates across New York and the Northeast.
"Today, I spoke with White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha about the state of the pandemic and the administration's preparation plans to ensure states have the resources, supplies and distribution networks needed to manage potential surges across the country this summer and fall," the governor said in a statement. "We know that tools such as vaccines, boosters, testing and treatment have been critical to fighting COVID-19, responding to variants, keeping hospitalizations down and saving lives. That is why I continue to call on Congress to pass additional federal funding, which will prove critical to helping states unlock further resources needed for future COVID-19 variants and surges."
Average statewide infections dipped slightly to 7.1% over a seven-day average before the weekend, from nearly 7.5% earlier last week.
COVID-19 infections remained about flat across the state's 10 regions Friday, with 18.5% positive in Western New York, 13.6% in the Finger Lakes, 12.3% in the Capital Region and over 9.5% each in the Southern Tier and North Country.
Hochul called for Congress to pass more funding for COVID-19 resources, treatment options, testing and vaccines to prevent severe virus hospitalizations in case of a more contagious variant in the coming months.
The governor also stressed the need to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots, which slowed to a crawl in February after the holiday and winter surge.
"At the state level, we continue to make sure New Yorkers have access to these tools. We have already distributed more than 75 million over-the-counter COVID-19 tests to New Yorkers in recent months, and have stockpiled more for the future," Hochul said. "We continue to partner with the administration to get more New Yorkers fully vaccinated and boosted, as well as promote treatment options available to a majority of adults that help prevent hospitalizations. Additionally, I have asked my team for a full assessment from our state agencies on our overall future preparedness. Last Friday, I spoke with county executives about our state's ongoing preparedness plans, and how we can work together to fulfill their needs on the ground.
"New York has long been at the forefront in the nation's fight against COVID-19, and we will continue to keep New Yorkers safe, informed and prepared."
About 77.8% of the U.S. population have received at least one COVID vaccine dose as of Thursday, with 92.5% of New York adults having at least one dose.
