NEW YORK — New York recorded more coronavirus cases on Friday than any other day in the 21-month-old pandemic, according to data released by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, as a vicious virus surge whipped the state.
The state logged 21,027 cases, according to the data, and the daily test positivity rate skyrocketed to almost 8%. As recently as last Saturday, the statewide daily positivity rate was below 4.3%
The Christmastime wave, which has led to long lines outside overwhelmed testing sites, has reminded the pandemic-weary state of March 2020, when the virus first rocked New York. But tests were not widely available then, making a comparison in cases between now and earlier periods complicated.
Still, the latest numbers served as a jarring expression of the increased threat. The recent spike is believed to be driven by the spread of the hyper-contagious omicron strain, which has spread rapidly across Europe in recent days.
In hard-hit London, omicron — which was first discovered last month — is already the dominant strain.
Only 178 omicron cases had been confirmed in New York State on Friday, according to the government data. But its spread is presumably vastly underreported; only a small fraction of cases are sequenced by labs to determine their mutations.
“Even people who are vaccinated really should be still wearing a mask right now, because we are seeing more breakthrough cases,” Hochul said on CNN.
Masks are now mandatory across the state in indoor businesses that lack proof-of-vaccination measures under an order from Hochul. But some counties have resisted enforcing the directive, which took effect on Monday.
Scientists are rushing to determine the threat posed by omicron. The heavily mutated strain appears to spread far faster than previous variants, dodging vaccine immunity as it ping-pongs around communities, but it may cause less severe symptoms.
The strain’s virulence, however, remains an open question. Some research has found little evidence that it packs a gentler punch than the long-dominant delta strain.
Health officials, meanwhile, are bracing for already filling hospitals to face yet another test.
Hochul said it’s not clear how much of the stunning wave is attributable to omicron.
“We don’t have a real handle right now,” she told CNN. “Nobody does, other than that they’re going up exponentially.”
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