With COVID-19 cases climbing in all 50 states, New York City Councilman Mark Levine, who chairs the Health Committee, is calling for the indoor mask mandate to be reinstated even for the vaccinated. In an interview on Friday,
Mayor Bill de Blasio said there are no plans to do that. Even with vaccines readily accessible, this has become a pandemic of the unvaccinated. According to the surgeon general, 99.5% of the deaths today are among the unvaccinated.
The Delta variant has driven the increase in cases. For the week ending on July 3, that variant accounted for 69% of New York City’s new cases, according to data from the Health Department.
Monday, the mass vaccination locations at Jones Beach and three upstate sites were closed. Easy access to vaccines at pharmacies and other locations lessens the need for large sites. Officials urge people to get inoculated as soon as possible. MORE
