A Message from Our Chief Medical Officer: Novel Coronavirus Update

Dear New York Tech Students, Faculty, and Staff:

As of April 1, 2022, approximately 79.9 million cases of COVID-19 and 977,495 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. Over the past seven-day period, the state reporting the highest number of cases per 100,000 people is Alaska (184.5); Louisiana reported the least (13.6). In comparison, New York State was at 102.7, New York City at 118.9, and Arkansas at 28.8.

Locally, Long Island’s seven-day average COVID-19 testing positivity rate is now at 2.7 percent, compared with1.9 percent for all New York City boroughs. These percentages have increased slightly since March 4, supporting the need for ongoing surveillance. In New York State, new hospitalizations have remained relatively level and are 0.71 per 100,000 people as of March 30.

The surveillance continuum for the coronavirus usually starts with increased transmission—demonstrated by increased cases, followed by increased hospitalizations, and finally increased mortality (death) rate. In the last seven-day period, Rhode Island is the state with the highest mortality rate, at 8.4 deaths per 100,000 people, while Alabama still has the lowest, at 0. In comparison, Arkansas is at 2.2 and New York State is at 0.3. Nationally, mortality rates are forecasted to decrease over the next four weeks as a result of earlier decreasing transmission rates.

More than 560 million doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in the U.S. As of March 31, 77 percent of the population has received at least one dose, 65.6 percent is now fully vaccinated, and 44.9 percent has received an additional booster. In New York State, 89.6 percent of the population has received at least one dose, and 76.2 percent is fully vaccinated. The rate of people receiving vaccines continues to decline.

Following the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory COVID vaccine changes, the CDC has updated its guidance to allow—not recommend—that certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 (who received an initial booster dose at least four months ago) are now eligible for another mRNA booster to increase their protection against severe disease from COVID-19. Supporting data for this change includes an Israeli study showing a 78 percent reduction in deaths among people age 60 and older who had four vs. three shots (after four or more months). Given that this is not a direct CDC recommendation but an allowance, the decision to receive a second booster should be made with input from a primary care clinician who takes into account a patient’s immune status, age, occupation, local COVID transmission rates, history of COVID infection, and how well previous dosages were tolerated.

One driver for receiving an additional booster to increase immunity is the new Omicron variant BA.2. Omicron represents a family of variants, including BA1, BA1.1, BA.2, and others. The concern with BA.2 is that it has eight unique mutations from the original BA.1, thereby creating a question about vaccine immunity. The rise of BA.2 has been blamed for recent surges in China as well as record infections in European countries like Germany and the United Kingdom. BA.2 is now the dominant version of the virus in new U.S. cases, according to estimates from the CDC. These estimates vary for different parts of the country, with higher proportions of BA.2 samples found in the Northeast and lower proportions in the Midwest. It is also important to note that other countries, including India and Sweden, have transitioned to having nearly 100 percent BA.2 without experiencing any major increase in new cases. Therefore, it is important to monitor not only testing positivity rates and cases but also hospitalizations and deaths. In our region, these rates continue to remain relatively low. The good news is that while vaccines are not overly successful in reducing transmission, they remain effective against hospitalizations and death, even among the Omicron variants.

It is clear that surveillance remains paramount with this pandemic and that some form of this virus will be around for a long time. As previously shared, frequent handwashing, remaining at home and avoiding large crowds when ill, testing for COVID, and isolation as appropriate are all prudent actions that we should incorporate into our daily lives to prevent the transmission of SARS Cov-2 as well as other communicable microbes.

As a reminder, proof of vaccination is required for all members of the New York Tech community. Please find more information about our vaccination and testing policies and how to upload proof of vaccination here. If you have not done it yet, please upload your proof of vaccination and booster(s) so that we have a record for our database and health screen! 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. Our medical students should reach out to NYITCOM’s Counseling and Wellness in Long Island (516.686.7636) or Arkansas (870.680.8839).

Sincerely,

Brian L. Harper, M.D., M.P.H.
Chief Medical Officer, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine