STATE CUTS COVID CASE REPORTS TO ONCE A WEEK FRIDAYS

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WPCNR COVID SURVEILLANCE. Statistics from NYS Covid Tracker. Observation and Analysis by John F. Bailey. March 20, 2023:

In Governor Kathy Hochul’s Friday Covid Update, (pictured above) the state announced it is cutting back on its daily covid reports of new covid cases and other statistics by county across the state to once a week on Fridays.

The reports that have been used by reporters throughout the state to monitor the rise and now 12-week decline in cases in Westchester County, will no longer be available to note trends.

This anticipated suspension of the detailed reports, first announced by the national Center for Disease Control a month ago when the covid emergency was declared over officially on May 11 by President Biden, will now hamper the public and the press abilities to tell what is going on with the pandemic.

The official notice issued Friday from the Governor’s Office reads:

“Starting today, March 17, and ahead of the federal government’s planned expiration for the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11,

New York State’s COVID-19/vaccine news release will be issued weekly on Fridays until further notice. 

The latest COVID-19 and vaccine data will continue to be available 24/7 on the New York State Department of Health’s online tracker.

Additionally, the State Department of Health is assessing changes to COVID data collection and reporting in collaboration with local health departments and health care providers, in order to alleviate the burden on providers and leverage other data sources to maintain its ability to monitor the state of the disease and health care delivery system capacity.

The agency remains committed to responding to the COVID-19 threat and continues to encourage New Yorkers to use the tools to protect against and treat COVID-19: Vaccines, boosters, testing and treatment. “

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