The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending masks in 10 New York state counties with high Covid-19 levels, all located in Upstate New York.
The CDC updated its Covid Community Levels map on Thursday, showing areas where Covid is at a “high” (orange), “medium” (yellow) or “low” (green) risk. Face coverings are recommended in areas with high Covid levels, including Oswego County for the fifth straight week.
Onondaga County was downgraded this week to medium risk after seeing a rise in Syracuse-area hospitalizations last week. Cases have gone down 18% over the past seven days and new hospitalizations with Covid declined 12%, though 1 in 12 staffed inpatient beds are still patients with confirmed Covid-19, according to the CDC.
Here are the ten New York state counties with “high” Covid levels where masks are currently recommended:
- Albany County
- Clinton County
- Essex County
- Franklin County
- Jefferson County
- Lewis County
- Oswego County
- Rensselaer County
- St. Lawrence County
- Warren County
All 62 of New York’s counties were considered low risk for most of the summer, but the majority are now at medium or high risk, according to the CDC. Counties that were high risk last week and were downgraded this week include Cayuga, Fulton, Madison, Onondaga, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates.
Only 46 counties nationwide are currently seeing high Covid levels. New York state has the most in the U.S. with 10 counties, followed by Montana with seven.
Masks are recommended, not mandated, indoors in areas with high Covid community levels under current CDC guidelines. Masking recommendations are now based on three factors — Covid hospitalizations, hospital capacity and new Covid cases — focusing more on preventing hospitals from getting overwhelmed and less on positive tests, which spiked during the omicron wave in December and January.
The CDC is recommending Americans get modified booster shots that target omicron variants to prevent another large spike this winter and during the upcoming holidays.
Masks are not recommended indoors, including in schools, in areas with medium or low community levels, though immunocompromised people and others at high risk for severe illness may still want to wear face coverings indoors and avoid large crowds.
Covid community levels were low enough at the beginning of March that masks weren’t recommended in any New York state county, but cases and hospitalizations increased in Syracuse and the surrounding area during the spring due to the rise of highly contagious BA.2 variants, the end of widespread mask-wearing, and the waning of vaccines. The state health department said CNY was the first in the U.S. to see “significant community spread” of more contagious omicron strains BA.2.12 and the related BA.2.12.1, spread rapidly through the Northeast in April and May.
The CDC updates its Community Levels map every Thursday. The map provides recommendations for mask-wearing, but does not indicate where face coverings are mandated.
New York state recently ended its Covid state of emergency and dropped its mask requirement on public transportation, but face coverings are still required in health care settings including hospitals and nursing homes.
The CDC also says anyone with Covid-19 symptoms or who test positive should wear masks, regardless of vaccination status or the risk level where they live.
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