Cuomo: Half of NY's adults are vaccinated against COVID-19

Adapting to the CDC's new mask guidelines

The CDC has said that fully vaccinated people are being advised they no longer have to wear masks undermost circumstance, but in the tri-state area mask mandates are still in effect.

NEW YORK - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that just over half of New York's adult population has been vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to the state's COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, 8,233,604 of the state's residents have been vaccinated, representing 41.3 percent of the population. The overwhelming majority of that number represents adults over the age of 18, with 51.5 percent of the state's 18+ population now fully vaccinated.

"Our progress on vaccinations is remarkable, and with about half of all New Yorkers now having received at least one dose of the vaccine, we are steadily moving towards the light of the end of the tunnel. Even as we continue to reopen and adjust to a new normal, we need to remember that this virus is still out there and the vaccine is the best weapon we have to defeat it," Governor Cuomo said. "The vaccine works, and we are continuing to do everything we can to make it accessible in every community. If you still need to get your shot, you just need to show up at one of our sites and roll up your sleeve."

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Eligible New Yorkers can now walk into any mass vaccination site statewide and receive a shot on a first-come-first-serve basis. Walk-in appointments are reserved for first doses only, with second doses to be scheduled automatically after administration of the initial shot.

This latest announcement comes as Governor Cuomo said that in the wake of the newest guidance on mask-wearing from the CDC, New York would not be immediately altering its guidelines.

Mixed feelings about new mask guidance

Some people say they've been waiting to take off their masks thanks to the latest CDC guidance, but others think it's still too soon. FOX 5 NY has more from New Yorkers who are split on the new guidance.

"In New York, we have always relied on the facts and the science to guide us throughout the worst of this pandemic and in our successful reopening," Cuomo said in a statement. "We have received the newly revised guidance from the CDC regarding mask wearing and social distancing for those with vaccinations and are reviewing them in consultation with Dr. Zucker and our partners and health experts in surrounding states."

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