I’ll get right to it: the extremely infectious Delta variant is driving the distressing rise in infection rates we are seeing across the country and here in NYC. On July 1, the 7-day average number of new cases was 229. Yesterday it stood at 1008 -- almost a 5 fold increase.

Right now, 98% of people who are in the hospital with severe Covid cases across the country are unvaccinated. So the best thing to do continues to be: get as many people vaccinated as we possibly can.

Last week, I called for New York City to get moving on thoughtfully requiring vaccinations for many jobs and activities. I’m pleased to report that, since then, Mayor de Blasio, Governor Cuomo, and President Biden have begun mandating that City, State, and Federal employees be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. The mayor also announced a $100 incentive for people getting their first shot.

Those are all good steps. But we need to do more. I believe that New York City should immediately:

• Establish vaccination requirements for discretionary indoor public activities like restaurants, movies, clubs, and shows. After France announced that either a vaccine pass or a negative COVID test would be required to go to a movie, club or restaurant, 2.2 million people signed up for appointments in 48 hours. New York City should do the same. We need to communicate thoughtfully, compassionately, and through trusted validators with people who are reluctant; but I believe that we also need to set clear requirements that we know will save lives, help restore the economy, and actually expand all of our freedoms.
  
  (While I’m glad to see individual establishments start to establish their own vaccine requirements -- as Danny Meyer did for his restaurants this week, and I encourage other business owners to do the same -- it just does not make sense to rely on individual businesses for what really should be common, shared rules). 

• Reinstate indoor public space masking requirements: The CDC issued new masking guidance on Monday, adding a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. According to the CDC, NYC is now an area of substantial transmission. LA, Atlanta, Washington DC, and St. Louis already have implemented new indoor mask requirements. The mayor and governor should follow the new CDC masking guidance and reinstate indoor masking requirements.
  
  (Do we love wearing masks indoors? We do not. Is there good evidence that masking slows the spread of the virus -- and that even vaccinated people may be responsible for spreading the delta variant? Yes, there is.) 

I’m already vaccinated. Should I get a booster shot to have stronger protection from the Delta variant?

First things first: Any of the three existing vaccines are strong protections against Covid, and especially against it becoming serious enough to require hospitalization. For our city, country, and the world as a whole, the most important thing is getting unvaccinated people vaccinated.

But the evidence is beginning to mount that getting an extra shot may be a good idea, especially for people over 65 and other vulnerable populations, but potentially for more of us as well. An additional shot appears to add meaningful protection for those (like me) who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. You should talk to your doctor, but I’ve heard strong recommendations for people who got J&J to get one more shot, perhaps of the Pfizer vaccine. 

While there is not yet clear guidance from public health agencies, my sense is that some of the sites providing vaccines will give you an additional shot if you make an appointment. And while it is possible that private sites like pharmacies may turn you away for this if your insurance indicates you are already vaccinated, publicly-run sites are vaccinating people regardless of insurance. 

How are we dealing with vaccine apps and cards?

As vaccine requirements spread, we will (hopefully) be asked more frequently to show evidence of vaccination status (or a recent test). Because we don’t have a national health insurance system, there is no uniform approach. 

The easiest is simply to keep your vaccine card in your wallet, or take a picture of it and keep it on your phone. Both New York City and State now have apps for vaccine registration. New York State’s Excelsior Pass checks your vaccination against the state database. This reduces the likelihood of fraud, but some people can’t get the match to work, and it doesn’t work if you got vaccinated out-of-state. New York City’s new NYC COVID SAFE app (Apple here, Android here) simply stores a picture of your vax card or test result in the app. It doesn't communicate with any outside databases. This will allay some people's privacy fears (especially for those who are undocumented).

While there obviously is some risk of fraud or forgery, I believe the simple request to see a vax card will serve as an inducement for most people to get vaccinated, and we don’t need to overstress about enforcement. Remember, the goal here is just to get the vast majority of people vaccinated as quickly as we can.  

What about school?

I know that so many of you are, quite rightly, worried about what all this means for the start of school in the fall, and that City Hall and the Department of Education aren’t acting nearly aggressively enough to require vaccination, set clear policies, and reach out to families. I’m talking to DOE Chancellor Meisha Porter on Monday about these issues, so we’ll have more to say about schools next week. I remain confident that we can get schools open for all our students, safely and supportively, by the first day of school -- but we need to be planning and acting aggressively now.

As always, as guidance and information evolve we will be sure to update you.  And if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to my office at 718.499.1090 or [email protected] and a member of my staff will assist you! 

I know this is all a lot, and that it is hard to go from feeling like we were emerging into a “summer of fun” back into worrying about Covid spread. But mass vaccination really can put us in a different place. We know what we need to do to crush this virus together, keep each other safe, and bring about a just and thriving recovery. 

And we can continue to have a lot of fun this summer! Speaking of which: I hope to see you tomorrow night for Opening Night at Celebrate Brooklyn. I really, truly cannot wait to be back at the bandshell. 

Let’s get to it.

Brad