Sudden rise in Covid cases in New York, health department recommends masks again

New Delhi: Looking at the rise in flu and COVID cases in New York, the health department has urged the citizens to wear a mask. According to reports, there has been a sudden upward spike in the cases involving flu and COVID-19 variants. New York’s health commissioner, Dr Ashwin Vasan, advised the citizens to wear a mask in public settings even if one is vaccinated for the viral disease.

The advisory issued by the health department said that one should wear a mask in indoor public settings, in crowded places outdoors and in case one is sick or has tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the data by The New York Times, there has been a 55 per cent rise in COVID cases in the last two weeks, while flu cases rose by 64 per cent. While masks are voluntary in most places, such is not the case for nursing homes.

The city has seen more than 30 lakh cases and over 43,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. There was an extreme surge in the cases and the death toll during the second wave in January 2022 and the city is still devastated by it. While the fear of the viral disease is over, a sudden rise in the cases has made the officials to recommend masks again.

A large number of New York’s population is vaccinated and the health department is setting up pop-up vaccination sites which have lowered the scare of the virus. While it is believed that there would not be another wave like January, taking precautionary measures is the best thing one can do.