Dear New York Tech Students, Faculty, and Staff: As of November 4, 2021, more than 46.1 million cases of COVID-19 and 747,970 cumulative total deaths have been reported in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the start of the pandemic. Nationally, new cases and new deaths continue to decrease. Over the past seven-day period, the state reporting the highest number of cases per 100,000 people is Alaska (583.6); Florida reported the least (52.9). In comparison, New York State has 190.2 cases per 100,000 people and New York City has 75.4. The vaccine rollout continues, with more than 426 million doses administered in the U.S. As of November 4, 2021, 67 percent of the nation’s population has received at least one dose, and 58.2 percent is fully vaccinated. As of yesterday, 74.5 percent of New York State’s population has received at least one dose and 66.8 percent is fully vaccinated. In an effort to increase national vaccination rates, the U.S. Department of Labor has released the details of President Biden’s rule for employers with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccination. The emergency temporary standard applies to all employers with 100 or more employees, including universities, and requires employers to adopt and implement a policy mandating that all employees either get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a face covering at work. This is consistent with New York Tech’s current vaccination policy. A major policy change occurred this week: following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the CDC now recommends that children ages five to 11 be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. This means that approximately 28 million U.S. children are now eligible for the vaccine, which will help to reduce their risk of severe disease, hospitalizations, and developing long-term COVID-19 complications. It will also contribute to overall herd immunity and reduce transmission to other children and adults. In addition, Pfizer reports that its new antiviral oral treatment Paxlovid can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent. Testing is still in the very early stages and the treatment will require FDA evaluation and approval, but this is also promising news. The CDC continues to monitor variants of SARS Cov-2, with the Delta variant remaining the predominant variant in all states and only current Variant of Concern. While a newer lineage of the Delta variant, Delta Plus (AY.4.2), is also being monitored, cases of this lineage have not significantly increased in the U.S. From a global perspective, COVID-19 cases and deaths are increasing in Europe, particularly Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Italy. This trend is generally attributed to inadequate vaccination rates and changes in community mitigation. Finally, all New York Tech students, faculty, and staff were required to be vaccinated by October 22, 2021. Please find more information about our vaccination and testing policies and how to upload proof of vaccination here. Please upload your proof of vaccination so that we have a record for our Health Screen database! To reduce the likelihood of any campus transmission at New York Tech, it remains important for employees and students to wear their masks on campus and remain at home when ill. Vaccinated individuals can carry the coronavirus, so please do not put others at risk and stay at home if you have any flu-like symptoms. As always, those who may feel anxious or uneasy can reach out to Counseling and Wellness Services at our campuses in Long Island (516.686.7683) or New York City (212.261.1773) to talk or make a virtual appointment. Sincerely, Brian L. Harper M.D., M.P.H. Chief Medical Officer, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine Vice President, Equity and Inclusion Copyright © 2021 New York Institute of Technology