48,000 New Yorkers' lives saved by vaccination
Opera goers circulate during an intermission of the performance of Richard Strauss's "Ariadne Auf Naxos" March 1, 2022 at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in New York City. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - 48,000 thousand New Yorkers had their lives saved by the city's COVID-19 vaccination campaign, according to a new report.
According to data released by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the city's vaccination drive prevented deaths among roughly 1 out of every 175 New Yorkers, prevented 303,000 hospitalizations, and 1.9 million cases since vaccinations began in December 2020.
Currently, over 77% of New Yorkers of all ages are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and over 17 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the city.
NYC vaccine and school mask mandates end March 7, Mayor Adams says
"COVID-19 vaccines have saved so many lives and prevented an immense amount of suffering," said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. "Nearly 48,000 New Yorkers will celebrate another birthday this year due to the power of vaccination."
New York City continues to slowly make its way back to normalcy in the aftermath of the pandemic, as beginning March 7 Mayor Eric Adams said the city's Key2NYC program that required businesses to check vaccine status for customers will end. Rules mandating employee vaccinations will remain in effect, however.
However, Adams said that mask mandates could be re-imposed if a new variant emerges that poses a special danger.
COVID-19 deaths, cases continue to fall around the world, WHO says
Coronavirus deaths are also dropping across the globe, with the World Health Organization reporting that deaths fell by 10% last week and new cases dropped by 16%.
Still, WHO has repeatedly said it is too early to declare the pandemic over and warned that if the coronavirus is allowed to continue spreading, it will have further chances to mutate into a potentially more deadly or transmissible version.
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