Over 5,200 new COVID cases detected in NYC

Threat of COVID-19 and omicron variant causing anxiety

This holiday season was supposed to celebrate our COVID comeback, but with omicron driving a new surge in cases, we're seeing our pandemic anxiety returning instead.

NEW YORK - The COVID surge in our area is continuing this weekend, as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday that the city was reporting 5,263 new positive cases and 214 new hospitalizations.

Last week, de Blasio laid out the details for the city's new vaccine mandate that goes into effect on December 27.

According to the mandate, employees of all private sector businesses throughout New York City must have received at least one vaccine dose as of Dec. 27 and then have 45 days to receive a second dose.

On Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul reported that the state had reported 21,027 positive test results, a single-day record for the pandemic.

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"The winter surge in COVID-19 cases is a reminder that the pandemic is not over yet and we must take extra care to keep ourselves and each other safe," Governor Hochul said in a statement. "The vaccine is still our best weapon to defeat the virus and ensure we are safe from serious illness. Get the shot if you haven't yet and the booster if you have, mask up, and wash your hands."

Over the last two weeks, hospitalizations have risen throughout the region, increasing by 22% in New York, 71% in Connecticut and 66% in New Jersey.

Despite those numbers, de Blasio has insisted that there will not be a return to the lockdown measures of early in the pandemic.

According to the World Health Organization, the omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries, and COVID-19 cases involving the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in places with community transmission and not just infections acquired abroad.