Latest COVID spike isn’t swamping NYC hospitals like before

By JENNIFER PELTZ

NEW YORK (AP) — Soaring COVID-19 lawsuit numbers, agelong investigating lines and lawsuit cancellations mightiness consciousness a spot similar déjà vu, but truthful acold New York City hospitals aren’t seeing a repetition of the surges that swamped exigency rooms aboriginal successful the pandemic.

The authorities reported Saturday that astir 22,000 radical had tested affirmative for COVID-19 connected Friday — eclipsing the erstwhile day’s people for the highest single-day full for caller cases since investigating became wide available. More than fractional of the affirmative results were successful the city.

The Rockettes connected Friday canceled remaining performances of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, citing “increasing challenges from the pandemic,” lines astatine immoderate investigating sites successful the metropolis stretched astir the artifact and at-home tests remained hard to travel by, oregon pricier than usual.

But caller hospitalizations and deaths — truthful acold — are averaging good beneath their outpouring 2020 highest and adjacent wherever they were this clip past year, during a wintertime question that came arsenic vaccinations were conscionable beginning, metropolis information shows.

Mount Sinai Health System’s exigency rooms are seeing astir 20% much patients — with each conditions — successful caller days, according to Dr. Eric Legome, who oversees 2 of the network’s 7 ERs. But astatine slightest truthful far, “we’re seeing a batch much treat-and-release” coronavirus patients than successful earlier waves, helium said.

Many are looking for tests, assistance with mild oregon mean symptoms, oregon monoclonal antibody treatment, but precise fewer necessitate oxygen oregon a infirmary stay, said Legome. He runs the ERs astatine Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside.

Hospital admissions and deaths thin to emergence and autumn weeks aft cases do. But Dr. Fritz François, the main of infirmary operations for NYU Langone Health, says truthful far, “we’re really seeing thing different” than successful erstwhile surges.

For 1 thing, COVID-19 patients are going location a spot quicker, helium said.

NYU Langone has seen a tiny uptick successful patients with COVID-19, present totaling astir 80 successful its respective hospitals successful New York City and adjacent Long Island. That’s astir 80% little than the tally astatine the apical of past winter’s wave, François said.

NYU Langone keeps refreshing its plans to grip a surge if it comes, but specified preparedness is conscionable “the caller normal,” helium said.

At the sprawling Northwell Health system, too, “we’ll beryllium prepared to bash it again if it happens,” but vaccinations and astir 2 years of acquisition marque for a antithetic representation now, said Dr. John D’Angelo, the main of integrated operations.

“I’m assured we’ll get done this, but determination are immoderate challenges this clip astir that I deliberation we’re going to person to deliberation done a spot carefully,” helium said.

Among them: The anticipation of much staffers being retired sick oregon successful quarantine arsenic omicron spreads astatine a clip erstwhile galore hospitals astir the state person been abbreviated connected staff, for assorted reasons. Northwell dismissed astir 1,400 radical — astir 2% of its unit — aboriginal this autumn for refusing to get vaccinated. Still, D’Angelo said it has capable unit to grip its projected needs.

Northwell, the state’s largest backstage healthcare strategy with astir 2 twelve hospitals successful and astir New York City, had astir 400 COVID-19-positive patients arsenic of Friday — up from astir 300 a fewer weeks ago, but a fraction of the 1,350 astatine 1 constituent past January, to accidental thing of the 3,500 successful aboriginal outpouring 2020.

About a 4th are vaccinated, up from astir 10-15% a period ago, mostly radical with underlying wellness problems, D’Angelo said.

The NewYork-Presbyterian infirmary strategy said it has seen “a dilatory but steady” summation successful COVID-19 admissions, but each its hospitals are operating normally.