Hochul says state 'turning the corner' on omicron, as case numbers level off

New York State is "turning the corner" on the COVID-19 omicron surge, with case numbers appearing to level off and drop, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.

While cautioning that no one should "spike the football," Hochul said the numbers are heading in a good direction that hopefully signals the beginning of the end of the record-setting surge — the fourth since the pandemic hit the state almost two years ago.

The state is "turning the corner. You heard it here first. I’ve been waiting to say that," Hochul said at a news briefing in Albany.

The number of new daily cases in the state on Thursday was 49,027, she said, compared to a record 90,132 on Jan. 7. As recently as Dec. 11, as omicron was just starting to arrive here, the figure was 11,577.

"That is a very positive trend. And I believe we will be able to keep that going," she said.

The number of new cases was 3,195 in Nassau County and 3,342 in Suffolk — less than half the record numbers set in the last couple of weeks.

But Hochul also said 177 people died on Thursday in New York of causes linked to the virus, including 30 on Long Island — 15 each in Nassau and Suffolk.

The governor said 12,207 people remain hospitalized with COVID-19. Those numbers likely will lag behind the decline in case numbers, she said.

"They’re still too high," she said. "I mean, 12,000 is not something that we are saying is a positive news story. It is still very high. But this will eventually catch up with the trend that is just beginning."

"We have to continue being vigilant" against the virus, she added. "We’re not going to spike the football … There will come a time when we say it’s all over. We’re not there yet. But boy, it’s on the horizon. And we’ve waited a long time for that."

Medical experts say it appears the omicron surge may have peaked over the last week, and that by early Februrary the situation could be vastly improved. But they also caution that COVID-19 is highly unpredictable, and some countries, such as Denmark, have seen a "jagged" recovery from omicron with numbers fluctuating up and down amid a general decline.

One top expert, Dr. Bruce Farber of Norhwell Health, said this week he believes a vast majority of Long Islanders will have been infected with COVID-19 by the time the surge ends.

Other COVID-19 numbers released Friday indicated the surge is slowing. The seven-day positivity average on Long Island fell again by more than a percentage point, to 22.17%. Its record-setting peak was 26.76% on Jan. 5.

Hospitalizations also are down. Northwell Health, the largest private health care system in the state with 19 hospitals, said Friday it is seeing a gradual decline in COVID-19 patients.

After peaking at 1,705 on Monday, the number dropped to 1,629 by Friday. It was as low as 594 on Christmas Day, as the omicron surge started to accelerate.

Northwell also said that after seeing many people showing up at emergency rooms around the holidays to get tested for COVID-19 because they could not obtain tests elsewhere, that problem has tapered off.

School officials: Attendance back up

Meanwhile, in Long Island schools, student and staff attendance is on the rise following a dip just after New Year's amid the omicron surge, several superintendents said in a Newsday Live webinar on Thursday.

The surge in infections "absolutely affected our attendance rate coming back from the holidays," Glen Eschbach, North Babylon’s superintendent, said. Right after New Year's, attendance was about 75%, compared to the norm of 95% or higher, he said. Those out sick included a significant number of staff members.

"Right now, we are beginning to see people returning," Eschbach said, describing "an upswing." But he cautioned: "Just wondering what February break will bring us."

Tahira A. DuPree Chase, superintendent of Westbury schools, also saw attendance decline with students and staff due to positive test results, with a higher rate of staff absenteeism than by students. Chase said the district is seeing a similar rebound to North Babylon’s.

Dennis P. O’Hara, superintendent of Islip schools, said his district saw 10% to 11% of staff absent on Jan. 3, and had to bring in administrators and others to cover classes. Attendance dipped "way below" the average of 96% for students that first week back.

Tom Rogers, the superintendent of Syosset, said the highest day of reported student absences was three or four days after New Year’s Eve, with comparable "difficulties with staff attendance."

A few districts reverted to online instruction right after the winter break, though most remained in-person.

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