In this issue:
You helped make NYC a better place, vax daddy is back, largest operations of homeless shelters in New York has agreed to forfeit $1.2 million and mask mandate update.
CORONAVIRUS
1. HERE’S THE NY SCOOP
THE STATS:
| 16,572,910 vaccines administered across NYC 366 new hospitalizations 😱 7,975 new cases! |
GOOD NEWS
| WE DID IT Y’ALL! 🎉 – Last month was National Mentoring Month and we were on a mission to get 100 men to sign up as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC by January 31st. According to BBBS they received a total of …*drum roll* 🥁 343 applications!!! Woohoo, thank YOU so much for helping us make NYC a better place! VAX Daddy (Huge Ma) is back and better than ever! – Last year Huge Ma helped thousands of New Yorkers find vaccination appointments by creating a website called TurboVax. This year along with Dr. Jay Varma, who served as a senior adviser to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, are volunteering for Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s new COVID recovery task force. |
BAD NEWS…
| WTF Victor, not cool man – Former chief executive of the largest operations of homeless shelters in New York, nonprofit Bronx Parent Housing Network has pleaded guilty to profiting from volunteer work, bribes from contractors, money laundering, and pocketing city funding. Victor Rivera is expected to face a prison sentence which under federal guidelines is between three and four years in prison and according to federal court documents, he has agreed to forfeit $1.2 million. |
DID YOU KNOW?
2. Indoor mask mandate is set to expire this Thursday 2/10.
| However, before we get our hopes up Hochul and her team are currently evaluating if NY state is ready to drop the mask requirement. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be giving an update tomorrow, Feb. 9… fingers crossed! “We are trending in a very, very good direction,” Hochul said, noting that the statewide Covid-19 infection rate was 4.2% Sunday, a rate not seen since early November. Okay, so a decline in covid-19 cases plus a decrease in hospitalization should equal no more masks, right? Not entirely, while cases and hospitalization are important metrics. The other variable to influence the states decision to drop mask requirements for businesses and schools are vaccination rates. Gov. Hochul in previous interviews said she wants to see the vaccination rate increase for 5-to 11-year-olds. According to the state Health Department about 37% of 5-to 11-year-olds had one dose of the vaccine, and 29% were fully vaccinated. As for 12- to 17-year-olds, 76% have had one shot, and 68% were fully vaccinated. SCHOOL MASK MANDATE IS UP FOR EVALUATION ON FEB 21, 2022 Hopefully with “reasonable, understandable, and achievable metrics,” as stated in a letter to Commissioner Bassett by state Council of Superintendents. In response to the hasty attempt of State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker in Nassau County to rule the statewide mask mandate unconstitutional only to have that decision halted 24 hours later. |
WHAT CAN WE DO?
3. WHAT SHOULD WE COVER NEXT?
What do you want to read about next? Is there an issue you think we should cover or feature in an upcoming newsletter? We’d love to hear your suggestions. Feel free to write back, we read every response!
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