New York, New Jersey now has the highest COVID-19 infection rates

New York and New Jersey now have the highest rates of COVID-19 infection in the country.

The Empire State has recorded an average of 548 cases per 100,000 population over the past 14 days – only topped by the Garden State with 647 cases.

Despite vaccination efforts, New York City has not seen a dramatic reduction in infections. Daily cases have averaged around 50,000 people per week since mid-February.

And across the Hudson River in New Jersey, the number of new infections soared 37% in just over a month, to about 23,600 every seven days.

The numbers come even as New York City continues to ease coronavirus restrictions.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has invited the state’s largest stadiums to once again host sporting events and concerts at limited capacity – while allowing indoor fitness classes to resume.

City Council Health Committee Chairman Mark Levine on Sunday called for an additional vaccine supply to be sent to states hard hit by variants.

“It is in the national interest to blunt this wave. This means sending more supply to variant hotspots, ”he said. written on twitter.

Meanwhile, New York City public attorney Jumaane Williams urged Cuomo to halt plans to reopen.

“I ask the governor to stick to the science, to trust the experts and to halt planned reopenings now, before they take effect and others are infected,” Williams said.

As vaccination rates improve every week, not much is known about the ability of people who have received the vaccine to transmit the virus, noted Bruce Farber, chief of infectious diseases and public health and epidemiology for Northwell Health.

“Allowing bigger groups to come together, to send the message to the public that we are above the worst and can get back to normal is wrong,” Farber said.

New variants of the virus appearing in New York and New Jersey could be part of the problem, experts said.

“Is there something different going on in this part of the country compared to other parts of the country?” asked Dr. Ed Lifshitz, medical director of the New Jersey Communicable Disease Department within the state’s health department. “And the answer is probably yes.”

The local Empire State variant has circulated widely in the region – in addition to other strains of concern from around the world that are considered more transmissible.

With Post Wires