THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

Speaking at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, the Governor announced she will be working with localities, the state health department and the Public Health and Health Planning Council in the days ahead to put in place mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated public and charter school employees, and to establish a vaccination requirement for all staff at state-regulated facilities and congregate settings. 

The governor announced $65 million will be available to local health departments across the state to support the quick and reliable distribution of booster shots.

“Last year every community across the state came together in a profound way to say, ‘we can do this’,” Governor Hochul said. “This war is not over and the Delta variant is a serious threat, especially for people who are still unvaccinated. We all need to remain vigilant to protect each other – and that means coming in to get your shot and booster shot, wearing masks in indoor spaces, and exercising basic safety measures that we are all familiar with by now.”

 
Getting children back to school where they can learn most effectively and protecting the students, teachers and staff are top priorities for Governor Hochul.

Building on the state department of health’s directive requiring universal masking for anyone entering schools, the governor will be working with localities, the department of health and the Public Health and Health Planning Council in the days ahead to implement a mandatory weekly COVID testing for school staff who are not vaccinated.

Following the department of health’s announcement last week that all staff in health care facilities need to be vaccinated, the state is exploring how to expand this requirement to include staff at all state-regulated facilities.

 
Local health departments will be supporting the distribution of booster shots in New York, enabling them to use their knowledge and workforce to quickly deliver booster shots to their communities. The governor is making $65 million available to local health departments to build the infrastructure for these efforts.
  
COVID-19 Numbers for New York as of August 30:
• Test Results Reported – 95,579 
• Total Positive – 3,789 
• Percent Positive – 3.96%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive – 3.35% 
• Patient Hospitalization – 2,234 (+48)
• Patients Newly Admitted – 232
• Patients in ICU – 484 (+16)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation – 247 (+18)
• Total Discharges – 192,839 (+185)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS – 22
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS – 43,573
• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC – 55,602

COVID-19 Vaccination Data for New York as of August 31, 11 a.m.:
• Total vaccine doses administered – 23,665,694
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours – 46,143
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days – 367,128
• Ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose – 77.0%
• Ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series – 69.9%
• Ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) – 79.7%
• Ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) – 71.6%
• New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose – 64.9%
• New Yorkers with completed vaccine series – 58.5%
• New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) – 67.3%
• New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) – 60.0%

COVID-19 Numbers for Western New York as of August 30:
• Test Results Reported – 4,320
• Total Positive – 244
• Percent Positive – 5.6%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive – 4.11%
• Patient Hospitalization – 135 (+8)
• Patients Newly Admitted – 15 (+1)
• Patients in ICU – 39 (+2)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation – 33 (+1)
• Total Discharges – 9,233 (+6)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS – 2
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS – 2,586
• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC – N/A

COVID-19 Vaccination Data for Western New York as of August 29: 
• Total vaccine doses administered – 1,548,815
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours – 1,636
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days – 15,439
• Ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose – 72.3%
• Ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series – 67.7%
• New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose – 61.3%
• New Yorkers with completed vaccine series – 57.1%
  
Note that the CDC does not provide Western New York or other region’s numbers for the following fields: ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose; ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series; New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose; New Yorkers with completed vaccine series.

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From Paul Feiner, Greenburgh Town Supervisor. August 28, 2021:

We’re all overwhelmed with excitement and happiness. The Afghanistan woman we’ve been trying to help escape from the Taliban is now in Germany.

Professor Sheldon Malev, a Greenburgh resident, had reached out to me earlier this week asking me to try to help.

Senator Charles Schumer’s office, Congressman Mondaire Jones, the media all helped give Freshta a second chance at life.

A true team effort to save an amazing woman’s life.

Freshta is recovering from a road side bomb in Afghanistan. When I spoke with Sofia Boto during the week she told me how her cousin (who graduated law school and is a woman’s rights activist) escaped the Taliban.

Her landlord evicted her this week – mentioning that if she did not leave she would be reported to the Taliban.  Before being thrown out of her house the Taliban knocked on her door repeatedly and she had to make sure they couldn’t hear her.  She was beaten on the way to the Kabul airport with metal whips.  And injured. She’s a brave and amazing woman. 

If she chooses to move to Westchester we’re going to make sure that she has the support she needs. Her cousin, Sophia, lives in Westchester. Already – volunteers are expressing interest in helping her adjust to live in the United States. We need to ‘unofficially adopt her’ –help her find happiness, employment, housing here. Her suffering needs to end. She is a real inspiration.

Although we’re happy that Freshta is about to get a second chance, there are many other brave, smart women in Afghanistan who are still suffering and trying to escape. Let’s hope that they have successful futures.

PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor

Ms. Bato’s MESSAGE:

Good Morning all,  I just received a call from my cousin Freshta. She is in a US Air Base in Germany. I’m so relieved to know she is safe as we had lost contact with her when she was at Kabul airport. We could not talk much as she was using someone else’s phone.

She said “God gave me a second chance in life”. She told me to please reach out to everyone and on her behalf. She wants to give her most sincere and humble thank you to all of you for saving her life.

She mentioned that they will keep her in Germany for a few days. She received medical attention for her wounds that she got from the Taliban. She is going to try to charge and fix her phone and will be in touch with me very soon. I want to thank you everyone for all your support. I hope Freshta will be in the United States very soon.   

Thank You Sofia