New York state records highest Covid totals two days running amid Omicron surge

New York state has reported a record surge in Covid-19 cases on Christmas eve driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading through the US.

The state reported 44,431 new Covid cases on Friday, passing Thursday’s record total of 38,835 cases. The state had reported 28,942 infections on Wednesday.

There have, however, been far less hospitalisations and deaths compared to last year when the pandemic peaked.

As of Thursday, 4,744 were hospitalised with Covid, compared to more than 7,000 a year ago.

The Omicron variant now accounts for 73 per cent of the country’s Covid cases, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier this week.

The sudden spike during the holiday season has alarmed public health officials, who fear an explosion of infections after Christmas and during New Year celebrations.

“Thanks to vaccines and boosters, our fight against the pandemic is going better than last Christmas but we still must ensure we’re taking the proper precautions to keep each other safe this holiday season,” governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

The governor said the state will open 13 new Covid testing sites on 29 December to meet the demand for testing.

Ms Hochul said the state sent more than 600,000 tests to the city in the last two days and will be providing at least two million at-home tests for schools to give to students returning in January after the holiday break.

In a Christmas eve briefing, Ms Hochul said most of the state’s essential workers could return to work just five days after a positive Covid test if they were fully vaccinated.

They must not have had a fever for 72 hours, should not be taking medication and must wear a mask while on the job, the governor added.

Workers were earlier required to be in quarantine for at least 10 days.

She said the change in rules would make it easier to maintain “critical services that New Yorkers need: healthcare, transportation, grocery stores.”

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The state’s revised rule falls in line with the one laid down by the CDC, which on Thursday announced that healthcare workers would be able to return to work after seven days if they tested negative and did not have symptoms.

Workers could return after five days or fewer if there were severe staffing shortages, it said.

The New York State Nurses Association has, however, warned that the new guidelines would only worsen staffing shortages.

“This guidance is inconsistent with proven science, vague and doesn’t provide definitions or explain standards at a time when decision-making for healthcare systems is critical,” the union said in a statement.

Meanwhile, New York mayor Bill de Blasio has decided to scale back the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, and has directed everyone required to wear masks.

Times Square usually holds around 58,000 people in viewing areas, but entry will be limited to 15,000 people this year and be prohibited till 3pm, the mayor’s office said.